A Different Life
by hlnwst
Summary: Canon Brittana. Santana and Brittany move to New York after high school. Everything is going perfectly until Brittany gets a phone call that changes everything. Now Santana has a daughter and she and Britt haven't seen each other in seven years... Canon until 3x16ish. No Louisville, no second senior year.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Santana clutched her stomach as another sharp pain rocketed through her body.

"Oh, that looked like a big one," Kurt Hummel commented.

"No shit, Sherlock," Santana retorted through gritted teeth. She moaned loudly in pain. "God, why does this hurt so fucking much?"

"Well, women's bodies are designed-"

"Shut _up_, Rachel!" Santana and Kurt both yelled, immediately silencing the young starlet.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Finn asked, resting his hands on Rachel's shoulders reassuringly.

"Finnocence, I'm pretty sure that I've been _doing_ something for the last nine months."

"Oh, no, I know, I meant-"

"I know what you meant, Finn," Santana breathed out as another contraction hit. "Goddamn, this hurts like a bitch."

"Santana, is there anyone you'd like me to call?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

Santana's eyes flashed immediately. "Kurt, do _not_ mention that again, do you understand me? I've done fine for the last year without _any_ help and I'm not about to start begging now. Got it?"

Kurt nodded quickly. Santana was, at best, a bitch 24/7. Now, on the cusp of delivering a baby, her anger had been pushed several levels higher. Luckily, Kurt, Rachel and Finn had known Santana at her best and worst and were well prepared for the hormonal changes that pregnancy brought.

"Rachel, we should go and see what's taking that doctor so long," Kurt said firmly to Rachel. She caught his meaning and nodded.

"Yes, Finn, honey, stay here with Santana and keep her company whilst we locate the doctor," Rachel agreed, quickly following Kurt out of the room.

"Don't you dare do something that'll make me go all Snixx on you! Hobbit! Porcelain! Get your sneaky asses back in this room!"

"Is it safe to leave Finn in there with her?" Rachel asked worriedly.

"Please, Santana is all talk. As crazy as she is now, she's just like a PMS'd up Santana Lopez from high school. Nothing we can't handle. Besides, she won't do anything to us. We're her family."

A flicker of sadness crossed Rachel's features and Kurt mirrored the expression.

"Shouldn't we-"

"Rachel, _no_," Kurt hissed, folding his arms across his chest. "Santana really would kill us if we called her."

"But what about her parents?" Rachel pressed.

Kurt shook his head. "You weren't with her when she spoke to them. They were brutal, completely unwavering in their decision to cut her off. Well, Santana's father was, anyway. I don't even think her mother got a word in edgeways."

"Maybe that's who we should approach, then?" Rachel persisted.

Kurt sighed. She really didn't know how to quit. "Rachel, right now we have to focus on what's best for Santana. She's been though hell this year and we're all she has left. What kind of friends would we be if we went behind her back when she needed us most and tried to involve the people that caused the hurt in the first place?"

Rachel looked up thoughtfully and Kurt rolled his eyes. If she seriously had to consider his logic, then fame had clearly boggled her brain more than he'd thought.

* * *

_Santana chased Brittany around their living room._

"_Britt, come on, give it back!" Santana whined, but she couldn't wipe the big grin off her face._

"_Come and get it from me, slow poke," Brittany teased, waving her phone tantalisingly in the air._

_Santana smirked and began a predatory stalk towards her girlfriend. She loved silly little moments like this, moments that no one but Brittany got to see. When she was with Brittany, Santana became a softer, happier person. Now that they were living together, Brittany's playful nature was rubbing off on Santana and they would often end up playing some silly childish game, but both of them loved it._

_Santana was within a stretch of Brittany, but paused, holding the blonde dancer's gaze evenly. Brittany just smiled slyly and arched an eyebrow. Santana's smile widened. How in the hell could people ever think that this girl was stupid? She had such an amazing mind and, lucky for Santana, she'd been able to decipher Brittany's thought processes a lot quicker than anyone else. Granted, being best friends since they were six did help in that department._

"_So what happens when I go to class and you go to work and you still have my phone?" Santana asked._

_Brittany shrugged. "Why would you need your phone in class anyway?"_

"_Well, I wouldn't be able to sext you, for one," Santana said, her voice dropping seductively. "I wouldn't be able to tell you how gorgeous you looked this morning waking up all tangled in the sheets. I wouldn't be able to tell you how wet I get when I think about you dancing and getting all hot and sweaty."_

_Brittany swallowed visibly, her grip on Santana's phone faltering slightly and the Latina smirked to herself. Brittany may have the moves, but she had the words._

"_And I wouldn't be able to tell you what I plan on doing when I come home, seeing as how you're only going to be home later this evening." Santana sighed dramatically. "Two hours all by myself and _so_ incredibly turned on." She dropped her hand and let it trail up her_ _own side_,_ raising the thin shirt she was wearing._

_Brittany squeaked at the appearance of the Latina's hard stomach covered by silky smooth skin. It was one of Brittany's favourite parts of Santana's body. Often, she would just lie on her stomach, running her fingers along all the contours._

"_But I guess if you have my phone, I won't be able to tell you what I'm doing," Santana continued, pretending to be oblivious to Brittany's aroused state. "So I guess I'll have to keep myself entertained."_

"_No."_

"_What was that, B?" Santana asked sweetly in response to Brittany's growl._

"_You will wait for me," Brittany said menacingly, stepping towards Santana. "You will not do anything to yourself. That's _my_ job."_

"_But, Britt, if you're not here-"_

_Santana's argument was cut off by Brittany's lips crashing into hers. She gladly moulded their mouths together and let Brittany show her who was in control. Tongues duelled and tangoed. Teeth grazed over lips and nipped at skin._

"_Fuck," Santana gasped into Brittany's neck, one hand gripping her waist and the other buried in her gorgeous golden locks._

"_What, now?" Brittany teased in a low voice, her breath ghosting over Santana's cheek._

"_I have to leave in half an hour," Santana said, glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall._

_Brittany grinned and gripped Santana's waist with both hands, encouraging her girlfriend to wrap her legs around her._

"_Plenty of time to give you something to tide you over till later," she whispered, leaning in to kiss Santana as she carried her to the bedroom._

_Santana smiled into the kiss. This was absolute heaven. This was perfection. Living in New York with her amazing girlfriend. Nothing could ruin this for her._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is my first fanfic, so forgive me if I'm not always clued up on the correct processes. This story has been milling around in my head for a while and I finally plucked up the courage to write and post it.**

**Italics are flashbacks. Hope you enjoy it! If you'd like me to post more, let me know!**

**-H**

**CHAPTER 2**

Santana gasped for air and screamed for all she was worth.

"Great job, Mama," the doctor said through her mask. "You did great."

Santana flopped back onto the pillow, feeling utterly drained and sweaty. She mustered up the energy to look at the doctor slide away from the tent covering the bottom half of her body.

The frown that had formed worriedly on Santana's forehead immediately vanished as the first sound of a cry was heard. She breathed a sigh of relief. She'd done it. She'd delivered a baby. Santana motherfucking Lopez was a mother at nineteen.

"Is she ok?" Santana asked urgently.

Dr. Sam Marlowe didn't say anything as she did a routine check. "She looks to be perfect. Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl, Santana."

Santana felt tears prick her eyes as Dr. Marlowe brought the wrapped up bundle towards her. She pushed herself up with great difficulty – she had just pushed a watermelon through a pea-sized hole, after all – and held out her arms in anticipation.

Dr. Marlowe gently placed Santana's daughter in her arms and stepped back, allowing that special first moment between mother and child.

"Hey, baby girl," Santana whispered, smoothing her thumb gently over her baby's forehead, which was pulled tight and punctuated with a high pitched wail. "You are so perfect. I'm going to make sure that you never get hurt and that you are always loved. I will love you forever."

The doctor smiled. This had been a rather unusual pregnancy for her, but there was always an exception to the rule and Santana definitely enjoyed being exceptional.

There was a knock on the door and a curious face poked in.

"We heard the crying. Can we see them?" Kurt asked.

Dr. Marlowe looked at Santana, who nodded absent-mindedly, her eyes devouring every inch of her daughter, who had ceased her wailing in favour of squeaky, shaky breaths. She opened the door for Kurt, Rachel and Finn. Normally, friends would have to wait until the baby had been cleaned and the mother had been properly looked after, but Dr. Marlowe knew that this was Santana's family and she wasn't about to withstand the Latina's wrath, especially after having just given birth.

"Hey, Santana," Rachel said softly, standing next to her friend. "How are you?"

Santana looked at her three friends with tears slowly tracking down her face. "She's…perfect. She's amazing. How did I do this?"

"Because _you're_ amazing," Kurt said firmly, placing his hand comfortingly on Santana's arm. "She's an example of the person you are. She's you, Santana."

The new mother looked down at her baby again and choked back a sob. "But…w-w-w-what if-f-f-f-f-f I mess it up? I haven't had any kind of lasting relationship." Her eyes grew wide. "Ohmigod, I'm gonna totally mess her up! She's gonna become a total fuck up like me and make everyone unhappy and-"

"Santana, you're being ridiculous," Finn said, cutting her off and surprising everyone with the strength of his voice. "I've told you this before. You're awesome and now the whole world gets another piece of that awesome you have inside. I have no doubt in my mind that that little girl is going to have the most loving and doting mother any kid could ever want."

Santana's tears overflowed and streamed down her cheeks. Dr. Marlowe took that as her cue.

"Hey, guys, we need to get mom and baby cleaned up and moved so if you wouldn't mind giving us some time?"

"Oh, of course," Rachel said, ushering the two boys out. "Santana, we're going to be right here, ok? We're not going anywhere."

Santana nodded and sniffed loudly. The door closed and she shook her head. "God, I am such a mess. My baby's a few minutes old and already I'm breaking down."

Dr. Marlowe smiled. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Santana nodded and smiled.

The doctor leaned down and Santana met her expectantly. "If you didn't burst into tears and start doubting yourself, I'd worry." She pulled back and chuckled. "Seriously, Santana, don't worry about it. It's completely normal."

Santana just smiled and wiped her tears away hurriedly, running her fingertips lightly over her daughter's face again. Even covered in Santana's inner crap, she still was the most beautiful baby in the world.

So what if Santana was a little biased. Every mom is.

"Have you thought of a name?" Dr. Marlowe asked.

Santana smiled. "Isabella. Isabella Lopez."

* * *

_Brittany's life revolved around two things: Santana Lopez and dancing. Both of them had been a part of her life for pretty much the same amount of time and she couldn't have one without the other – she'd always feel incomplete. Which was why this decision was so hard for her to make. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, but could she do it without Santana?_

_Brittany was sitting in the main studio that she taught in. It was long after everyone had gone home and Brittany had stayed late to try and think things through without Santana as a distraction. Because that's exactly what Santana would be – Brittany knew that she wouldn't be able to think about this problem if she went home all sweaty from dance and see Santana humming in the kitchen as she made them dinner. She'd walk into the kitchen and slip her arms around her tiny waist-_

_Wait! Damn it. See? Distraction._

_Brittany sighed. She should try and think about what Santana would say. She'd totally tell her to go for it right? That's why they'd decided to tough it out in New York – there were more opportunities for both of them in their respective fields. And this was a _golden_ opportunity. Brittany had to take it. She had to. Santana would agree._

_Brittany smiled in relief, having finally come to a decision. She picked up her phone and scrolled for a number._

"_Hi, Rick? It's Brittany S. Pierce. Yeah, I know. Well, as it turns out, it took me less time than I thought to make my decision. So when do we leave on tour?"_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hiya. So I know this story goes back and forth a little, but I just figured it was the easiest way to establish the current and past situation with Brittany and Santana. Also, this way seemed a lot more interesting than laying it out in chronological order. I dunno, maybe I'm overthinking. Let me know what you think!**

***Blush* Please take note of the M rating for this chapter…**

**Also, much love for the story alerts and reviews :D**

**-H**

**CHAPTER 3**

Three days of lying in a hospital bed had left Santana itching to go back to the apartment that she shared with Kurt, Rachel and Finn. She hated being waited on and treated like a precious vase about to break at the slightest movement.

Eventually, the nursing staff had left her alone unless she'd called them specifically – and even then, Dr. Marlowe had been the one to go in and see the fiery Latina.

Dr. Marlowe had kept Santana in the hospital for an extra two days because her body was still in recovery mode after giving birth. Isabella was perfect, but her mom was too weak to leave. Santana was not happy.

"You ready to go, Mama?" Kurt asked, grabbing Santana's bag.

"You have no idea," Santana replied, rolling her eyes. "Pretty sure there would've been a pile up of bodies had I been forced to stay a day longer."

"Santana, you need to be at your optimal health for Isabella's sake," Rachel reasoned. "If you're not at your best, you can't give your daughter your best."

Santana froze and looked down at the sleeping bundle in her arms.

"Shit," she breathed, "you're right, Rach." Tears pooled in her eyes. "Oh my God. I can't do this!"

Finn stepped in front of Santana and gripped her shoulders. "No one can do this _but_ you, Santana. I know that you have a heart somewhere underneath all that sarcasm. I saw it when you were with-" he stopped himself and cleared his throat quickly. "I've seen you be a happy, soft person before and I know that your daughter is going to bring that out in you again. And if things do get a little crazy, your family is going to be right there with you. Every step of the way."

Finn stepped back, but Santana gripped his forearm with her free hand and looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you." She looked at Kurt and Rachel and smiled. "Thank you, guys. I really don't know what I would've done without you this year. And I know that no matter what, you guys will have my back. And Bella's too." She looked tenderly at her sleeping daughter. Her head snapped back up to her three friends. "Of course, if anyone tries to fuck with you guys, I will go all Lima Heights on their asses, mama status be damned."

Kurt put an arm around Santana and squeezed gently as he chuckled. "I don't think we could ever find someone as sweet as you pretend not to be."

"Pffft," Santana scoffed, but secretly grinned.

"Come on!" Rachel said eagerly. "I want to show you how I've done up your room!"

Santana groaned good-naturedly and rolled her eyes, but gladly let her friends pull her out of the hospital room and back into the real world.

* * *

Santana collapsed onto her bed. She was exhausted. She'd been home a week with Bella and she'd be lying if she said she got more than three hours of sleep a night. Kurt and Rachel had told her all these fairy tale stories about babies sleeping nine hours through the night. Not Bella. Oh no. This little Lopez wanted attention every few hours, even if it was just her mom looking at her. Eventually, Santana had created a crib of pillows and towels in her bed so that Bella could always feel her.

Despite all of the hard work, Santana loved being a mom. Nothing in the world would ever come close to seeing her baby girl's dark eyes locking onto hers and never letting go. Santana felt like her daughter could see into her soul. She knew that it was too early to tell what colour Bella's eyes were going to be, but Santana was certain that her daughter would retain her dark eyes.

She sighed and allowed herself to wonder briefly about Bella's father and whether she'd get some of his genes - not that she remembered anyway.

"Stop it," she scolded herself immediately. Bella's father was non-existent. She was Bella's parent. She would be a mother and father, doctor, psychologist, everything that her little girl needed.

Santana sighed and rested her head on her pillow, shaking herself of the fleeting thought. She pushed her body up and rested her face on the pillow that separated her from Bella. She smiled and just stared at the perfect little human being fast asleep next to her. Looking at her like this, Santana immediately forgave her daughter for waking her up every two hours with her piercing wails. As soon as Santana appeared in her vision, they stopped though and she just stared up at her mother. As sleep deprived as Santana was, the love she felt for Bella completely overwhelmed any other emotion.

"Sleep well, baby girl," Santana murmured, softly fingering the dark locks only just appearing on Bella's head. "No matter what happens in this world, I will never let anything happen to you. No one will be able to hurt you. No one will walk out on you."

Santana blinked and was surprised to find two tears running down her cheeks. Her chest suddenly started aching and she quelled the rising urge to scream in frustration. She couldn't do this. She _wouldn't_ do this. That part of her life was over. She didn't want to see her again or even _think_ of her again.

_Brittany_.

Santana closed her eyes and buried her face in her own pillow, letting the tears finally flow after nine long months.

* * *

_Santana hummed a random tune as she put the final touches on the mac and cheese she was making. It was Brittany's favourite and her girlfriend had been training so hard lately because of a competition coming up. Santana wanted to give Brittany a nice, relaxing evening._

_She heard the front door open and a familiar bounding came closer as Brittany arrived in the kitchen with a big smile on her face._

"_Hi, baby!" she said enthusiastically, grabbing Santana in a fiercely tight embrace._

"_Hey," Santana chuckled, hugging her back. "You have a good session tonight, babe?"_

_Brittany nodded and smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Santana reciprocated happily, lightly letting her tongue run over Brittany's bottom lip before pulling away to put the mac and cheese in the oven._

"_Mean," Brittany muttered behind her._

_Santana laughed and turned to wink at her girlfriend._

"_Feeling energetic, baby?" she asked, stepping back into Brittany's arms and nuzzling her neck._

"_Very," Brittany said seriously. "How long will dinner be?"_

"_Hmmmm," Santana mused as she placed feather-light kisses along Brittany's neck. "About forty minutes? I have it on low."_

"_So come and keep me company while I shower?" Brittany asked innocently. Santana looked up and saw nothing innocent in her gaze. _

_She smirked. "Need some help getting clean, baby?"_

_Brittany leaned to capture Santana's lips softly. "I always get properly cleaned when you're with me," she murmured in a low voice._

"_Oooh," Santana mumbled, feeling a rush of heat run down her body and settle between her legs. "That was so sexy."_

_Brittany chuckled and pulled Santana to the bathroom. They slowly undressed each other, stealing kisses every now and then. Brittany reached into the shower and turned the water on. Santana took the opportunity and pressed her body up against her girlfriend's tightly, leaving no room between them. Brittany gasped at the contact and moaned as Santana traced her tongue from the dancer's ear to her clavicle._

"_Ready to get clean?" Santana murmured._

"_Hmm…hmmmmm," Brittany mumbled, running her hands up and down Santana's back, sending her into a frenzy of goose bumps._

_There wasn't a feeling quite like Brittany and Santana pressed up against each other, skin on skin from head to toe. Both girls would swear that nothing could compare to the intimacy they experienced being so close together._

_Brittany pulled away slightly and climbed into the shower, holding onto Santana's hand and pulling her gently in after her. The steam of the rapidly heating water quickly stuck to their bodies as their lips met over and over again, massaging, nipping, tracing._

_Santana gasped as Brittany turned her and pressed her against the shower wall, rubbing their bodies together. The steam had made their skin slippery and the feeling of Brittany's body moving up and down hers almost made her come. This was why dancing with Brittany was always very difficult for the Latina. She just couldn't control her reaction to her girlfriend's sexy dancing skills._

"_God, Britt," Santana moaned loudly as Brittany's hands started massaging her breasts. She tweaked her nipples into stiff peaks and Santana moaned again. They'd been having sex for over four years and her body still reacted to Brittany's touch like it was the first time._

_Santana rested her arms on Brittany's shoulders and kissed the dancer furiously. Brittany's flexible tongue explored her mouth like she'd never tasted her before and the intensity elicited another moan from the Latina. Just as well they lived alone._

"_I want you so bad," Brittany husked against Santana's lips._

"_Take me, B," Santana replied with a smile. "I'm all yours."_

_Brittany smiled her big sunshine smile and kissed Santana again, trailing her lips to her girlfriend's neck and down to her breasts. She lovingly caressed each peak with her tongue before Santana's moans became desperate and she was being pushed further down. Brittany knelt down and smiled as she trailed her tongue over Santana's stomach._

"_Baby," Santana whined, her fingers tangling in Brittany's now wet hair._

"_God, I can smell you, San," Brittany murmured, licking the moisture off Santana's stomach, causing the Latina to shiver uncontrollably. "You smell so good."_

_Brittany gripped one of Santana's firm thighs and placed it over her shoulder, the full force of Santana's arousal hitting her. Her mouth watered and she couldn't hold back any longer. She licked up Santana's slit slowly, taking a generous amount of wetness onto her tongue and swallowing, savouring the taste of her girlfriend._

"_So good," she murmured, licking up again._

"_Fuck," Santana moaned, loosening one hand in Brittany's hair to steady herself against the shower wall. "Baby, that feels so good."_

_Brittany smiled to herself and alternated between long, slow licks and little flicks over Santana's pulsing clit. Her girlfriend's moans were getting louder and Brittany knew that she was building her up really good. She took a deep breath and dove inside her girlfriend with her tongue._

"_Holy Jesus mother fuck," Santana cried out, her thighs clenching around Brittany's face. "Right there, baby."_

_Brittany obliged and pushed in and out until she felt Santana's walls close in around her tongue. She glanced up at her girlfriend. Her eyes were closed and her jaw was set hard as her body arched off the shower wall and started to shudder. There wasn't anything quite like watching Santana come undone at the mercy of Brittany's tongue. She transformed. Of course, she was completely beautiful all of the time, but she become almost angelic. A look of complete bliss would cross her face as she came down from her orgasm and Santana didn't even have to look at Brittany for the dancer to see the love radiating from her._

"_Oh. My. God," Santana breathed, removing her hand from the wall and running it through her wet hair. "B, that was unbelievable."_

_Brittany placed a soft kiss against Santana's clit, causing a reactive moan from her girlfriend, and slowly trailed her tongue back up Santana's body until their lips met again. Santana loved tasting herself on Brittany and the blonde gladly gave her tongue to her. The brunette wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck and pulled her close, sucking hard on her tongue, causing the dancer to chuckle and pull her girlfriend close._

_They broke apart slightly and rested their foreheads together._

"_Your turn, baby," Santana murmured, trailing her hand down Brittany's stomach._

"_I want you inside me hard and fast," Brittany murmured. "I'm so wet for you right now it almost hurts."_

"_Anything for you, my love," Santana replied, smirking at how turned on Brittany got by fucking her._

_She ran two fingers over Brittany's slit, coating them in her girlfriend's wetness, which there was a _lot_ of and immediately entered her, starting a slow rhythm to build her up._

"_Fuck," Brittany moaned, her nails running down Santana's back. Santana knew she'd have some sexy red marks the next day, but she loved it when Brittany marked her. "Harder," she grunted._

_Santana shifted the angle of her hand and pumped in deeper and longer. She added another finger and Brittany's teeth sank into her shoulder._

"_Yes, yes," she panted. "Fuck, baby!"_

"_You like me inside you, don't you?" Santana murmured against Brittany's ear breathily._

"_Only you," Brittany moaned. "No one else. Only you." She cried out as Santana curled her fingers inside her and her legs started trembling, a sure sign that she was close._

_Santana tightened her grip around Brittany's waist. Her girlfriend became like dead weight immediately after her orgasm. She sped her fingers up and slowed them down, repeating the process until Brittany was whimpering in her ear. She flicked her thumb over Brittany's clit once, twice and on the third flick, she cried out Santana's name and arched against her girlfriend, her body shaking as the orgasm flowed through her. Santana brought her down slowly, holding on to her tightly before removing her fingers and licking them clean. She closed her eyes and savoured the taste. Brittany was by far her favourite taste in the world._

"_Best," Brittany sighed, leaning into Santana and kissing her lazily._

"_Even better than when we snuck into Coach Sylvester's office after graduation?" Santana teased, smiling as she remembered the best orgasm of her life. In fact, the best _multiple_ orgasm of her life. Three times in two minutes. Brittany had yet to break her own record. Not for lack of trying, though. Santana had to admit that she appreciated the blonde's effort. Oh man, did she appreciate them._

"_Hmmmm, maybe second best," Brittany murmured, slowly regaining feeling in her legs. "I love you, San."_

"_And I love you, B," Santana replied, kissing her girlfriend gently. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."_

_Brittany giggled. "And you. I got you good."_

"_That you did, baby," Santana agreed, turning the blonde into the warm stream of water. "That you did."_

_They washed each other gently and lovingly, stealing kisses until the water got cold. Santana opened the shower door and grabbed a towel for Brittany to step into. She rubbed the towel roughly against her girlfriend, causing the blonde to chuckle._

"_Gotta keep you warm," Santana said seriously, pulling the second towel around herself._

"_But I've got you for that, silly," Brittany giggled._

"_Hmmm, good point," Santana grinned._

_There was silence for a moment until Brittany spoke, "San? I need to tell you something."_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Much love for all the alerts :) Hope you guys like where the story's going.**

**The flashback scene was difficult to write. I hate having my favourite couple fighting, so I hope it came out ok.**

**-H**

**CHAPTER 4**

Santana opened her bedroom door and walked out, stretching and yawning. Last night was the first night that she'd managed to get a decent amount of sleep. Bella was just over a month old and had finally started sleeping through the night, allowing Santana her much-needed rest.

"Morning!" Kurt sang from the kitchen.

"Mmmm," Santana mumbled, grabbing the coffee pot and a mug.

"Still having trouble sleeping?" Kurt asked with concern. "You know that we're all happy to take over the two am Bella wake up calls, Santana. You need to sleep too."

"S'fine," Santana mumbled, yawning. "She slept through last night. I'm just not used to getting a full night's sleep so I still woke up every two hours."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Kurt said sympathetically. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Santana took a sip of her black coffee and let the liquid travel down her throat before answering, "I was going to take her out anyway. She should stay awake long enough to experience the day."

"Ok, great," Kurt said, silently breathing a sigh of relief. He dared not mention to Santana that he'd heard her crying herself to sleep on more than one occasion. He wasn't stupid – the anniversary of _her_ leaving was coming up soon and he was pretty sure that Santana was still mourning the loss of her blonde ray of sunshine. Granted, if it were up to him, Brittany would never come within fifty feet of Santana ever again, not after what she did to the Latina.

Kurt downed his orange juice. "How about you and Bella walk me to work?" he suggested. "It's not too cold for her to be out and you'd get an early start to your day."

"Sure," Santana agreed after a thought. "Give me fifteen to get us ready?"

Kurt nodded and watched Santana walk back into her bedroom. He sighed. Santana and Brittany were like one entity. Although they weren't together, he had no doubt that one would somehow find the other again. And he was scared shitless of the effect that would have not only on Santana, but on little Bella too.

"Deep in thought so early," Rachel commented as she came out of the room she shared with Finn.

"Hmmm," Kurt mused in agreement, his thoughts still on the potential reappearance off the careless blonde dancer.

"You ok, Kurt?" Rachel asked, narrowing her eyes in concern.

"I suppose," Kurt sighed. "You know what next Thursday is, right?"

Rachel's head dropped. "Yes. Unfortunately, that's a hard one to forget."

"She's been crying," Kurt said in a low voice, not wanting Santana to overhear him through the open door.

"I know," Rachel replied, sighing. "I heard her the other night when I got up to make Finn some warm milk."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Rach, this could be either a really good week or a really bad week. She only goes back to work at the end of the month so we need to keep her busy. I've already got her walking me to work with Bella, but she can't be home all day every day. She needs to get back out into the world."

Rachel nodded. "But Santana has to want to help herself to heal. She won't be able to if she keeps fighting it."

"I think she wants to," Kurt said softly, his heart aching for his friend. "She kept so much pain inside her in high school. I think that she trusts us enough to help her deal with it, when the time comes. And I think that time is coming."

Rachel smiled and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here for her, Kurt. Lord knows it took a long time for Santana and I to become close, but you two have a special bond and if it hadn't been for you, I'm pretty sure things would've been much worse."

Kurt placed a hand over Rachel's and squeezed.

"What, are we on Dr. Phil?" Santana commented sardonically as she walked out of her bedroom, cradling a sleeping Bella. She shot a crooked grin Kurt's way and he smiled back. Maybe Santana would be ok.

"Ready?" he asked, slipping off the chair and grabbing his oversized man-bag.

Santana gently placed Bella in the stroller that Finn and Rachel had bought her amongst much protestation. Bella didn't stir as Santana tucked the soft baby blanket (courtesy of Kurt, naturally) around her daughter.

"Ready for our first outing," Santana said proudly.

"Come on, Mama," Kurt said affectionately, throwing his arm around Santana's shoulder and squeezing. "Time to get you outside these four walls."

Santana smiled and followed Kurt out the door.

* * *

_Santana sat frozen on the bed. She couldn't move. Her brow was furrowed into a permanent frown. The towel that she held around her body was bunched tightly in her fist._

"_Santana," Brittany said softly, moving to sit next to her girlfriend. "Please say something."_

_Santana stood up as soon as Brittany sat down, causing a hurt look to cross the blonde's features._

"_What the hell am I supposed to say?" Santana said slowly in a low voice. This must be some kind of joke. No, it was a dream, a nightmare. She'd wake up from it soon.  
_

_"San, I'm sorry," Brittany began before Santana's anger spiked._

"_Sorry?" she shouted. "_SORRY_? You can be sorry if you forget your keys. You can be sorry if you kick me when we're sleeping. You can be sorry if you mix the colours with the whites when we do laundry."_

"_I only did that once," Brittany murmured._

"_Dammit, Brittany!" Santana yelled, tears springing to her eyes. "You can't be sorry when you're doing this on purpose. You're being selfish and that's not fair to me. Or to us."_

"_Selfish?" Brittany repeated, also standing, her eyes flashing. "Santana, I have _never_ been selfish. I followed you here because it's where _you_ wanted to go. I could've stayed in Ohio or even gone to LA, but I came here for _you_. We said that New York also had great opportunities for dancers and now that I get an opportunity you're saying that I'm being selfish for taking it? That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?"_

_Santana's breathing was speeding up and Brittany's eyes went wide. This had only ever happened twice before. Santana was having a panic attack._

"_Shit," she said, running over to her girlfriend. "Sit down, San."_

_Santana pulled her hand away, but her breaths just became more and more erratic and Brittany could hear her gasping for air._

"_Don't be an idiot, Santana," Brittany said sharply. "I know what to do. Lie down on the bed."_

_Santana glared at the blonde who returned it with interest, but she obeyed, lying face down on the bed, burying her head underneath a pillow. Brittany closed her eyes and took a deep breath before dropping the towel still around her and straddling Santana's butt._

"_What the fuck, Britt?" Santana breathed out angrily, gasping for air and trying to push her off._

"_Turn around," Brittany said sternly. "I can't do this with a towel around me. I'm not stupid enough to try something with you now."_

_Santana mumbled something that Brittany couldn't catch, and part of her was glad she didn't. Santana resorted to insults when she was hurting. Normally, Brittany would brush them off, but Santana knew what words would cut deeply and she was hurting enough to bring those out, consequences be damned._

_Once Santana was settled again, Brittany gently tugged her towel down, with some resistance from the Latina. Eventually she had her back exposed. Brittany methodically starting pushing on the different pressure points on Santana's back and neck, gently rubbing the skin around it. After about five minutes, Santana's breathing was back to normal but she'd started shaking. Brittany knelt next to her in alarm and turned her over. Her heart almost broke at the sight of Santana weeping. Not just crying, _weeping_. This was the kind of crying that came from the very soul._

"_San," Brittany said softly. "I don't know what to do."_

"_Don't g-g-g-go!" Santana sobbed, trying to look angry, but failing miserably._

_Brittany didn't say anything and looked down._

"_Why w-w-won't you stay with m-m-me?" Santana shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Am I not enough f-f-for you to stay?"_

"_Santana, of course you are," Brittany said softly, her hand stroking the Latina's bare back. "You're everything."_

"_Then w-w-why, Brittany?" Santana asked in a broken voice._

_Brittany hated how helpless she sounded. This was Santana motherfucking Lopez, for Christ's sake! Uber-confident and bitch 24/7. __She knew that she needed to say the right words here. Unfortunately, words were Santana's department._

"_San," she began slowly, "if I stay here and let this chance pass me by, I'm scared that I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life. These kinds of opportunities don't come around twice in a lifetime." She paused and thought. "I'm scared that I'm going to end up blaming you because I stayed for you."_

_Santana sat up suddenly, pushing Brittany's comforting hand away. She pulled the towel tightly around her and moved to the edge of the bed._

"_You won't stay for you," she said simply. Brittany had never heard her voice so flat and devoid of any emotion._

"_What do you mean?" Brittany asked, her brow furrowing in confusion._

"_I mean that you won't stay because you want to. You're trying to pin this on me. You're trying to blame me if you stay, so that you won't feel guilty or whatever."_

"_Santana-"_

"_No!" Santana shouted. "You won't stay for you because you want this-" her voice broke again and tears ran down her face, breaking Brittany's heart, "more than you want me."_

"_God, no, that's not it!" Brittany said desperately, moving closer to the love of her life, terrified that this wasn't going at all the way she planned. "Santana, I love you more than anything in this whole world and I never will love anyone or anything as much as I love you. You're my everything."_

"_Clearly I'm not, Brittany!" Santana yelled. "If I were, you wouldn't be leaving me!"_

"_But I'm not going forever, San," Brittany tried explaining. "It's only for a year. It's a worldwide tour and Rihanna asked for me personally. I can't pass this up."_

"_Fine."_

_Brittany blinked. "What?"_

"_Go."_

"_San…"_

"_GO!"_

_Brittany swallowed, her chest hurting. This wasn't going _at all_ how she'd planned._

"_Baby, please," she begged. "I love you. Don't hate me."_

"_Brittany." Santana's voice was firm, reminding Brittany of those times in high school when she would wake up in Brittany's bed after a night of love making and pretend that it meant nothing. "Go on your stupid tour. Just know that if you walk out of that door, we're done."_

"_What?" Brittany whispered, tears filling her eyes. "San, you can't mean that."_

"_Can't I?" Santana said angrily. "Never mind that you're choosing a tour over me, but how do I know that you're going to stay faithful to me? No, I'm not about to make that mistake twice."_

_That got Brittany's temper up. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"_

_Santana just folded her arms across her chest and looked at Brittany coldly._

"_You're unbelievable!" Brittany said in exasperation. "I was _always_ yours, Santana. You were the one that never wanted me the way I wanted you. If you'd asked me, I would've been yours in a heartbeat. You pushed me away and every time you hooked up with other guys, my heart broke. Did you care? No. But I loved you, so I took it because I knew you'd come back to me in the end. And you did, every time. The one time I managed to get a good guy, you couldn't handle it and didn't want to wait for me. So don't you _dare_ tell me that I wasn't faithful to you."_

_Brittany was crying now, tears blurring her vision and she wiped them away angrily._

"_I can't believe that after everything we went through together that you're still the same petty Santana from high school. I thought you'd grown up."_

_Santana took the bait. "I did grow up. I got us out of Lima, just like we'd planned. We're in the biggest city in the world on our own and now you want to leave."_

"_Please," Brittany scoffed. "Your dad is paying for this place and for your studies. My job is what lets us eat every night. So who exactly is the grown up here, Santana?"_

"_I fucking _hate_ you!" Santana screamed. "Get out! I don't ever want to see you again! You ungrateful bitch!"_

_Brittany shook her head. "I seriously thought that after waiting for you for two years, you'd trust me enough to come back to you after living out my dream. But I guess your dream is the only one that matters, isn't it, Santana?"_

"_We are the dream," Santana replied hotly. "Well, at least I thought we were. We always said that so long as we were together, we could do anything. Guess you faded on that idea pretty quick."_

"_Oh my God!" Brittany shouted. "Do you actually even hear yourself? You sound like a five-year-old child! And that's coming from _me_!"_

"_And where would you be without me, Brittany?" Santana said spitefully. "Back in Bumfuck, Ohio, hooking up with anyone willing to spread your legs."_

_Brittany's eyes stung. As bitchy as Santana was, she'd never called her a slut or stupid. Brittany thought she glimpsed a flicker of remorse in Santana's eyes as the words slipped out, but it was too late to take them back._

"_You know, I feel sorry for you," Brittany said in a strangled voice as she stood up from the bed. "I believed in you. I was the only one. Now who do you have? No one. Do you know why, Santana? Because you're a bitch. You're a selfish, ungrateful, spoilt bitch. And as it turns out, not even I am immune from your insane need to control everyone and everything around you. I put up with it for thirteen years. But I won't anymore. You can't tell me what to do."_

_Santana didn't say anything, her mask firmly in place. Brittany was surprised that she still remembered how to use it._

"_I wish that things didn't end like this, but…" Brittany trailed off, not sure what else to say._

_Santana sat in silence and watched as Brittany quickly dressed. She ran a hand through her hair and turned to the Latina._

"_I wish that I had been enough for you, Santana."_

_She turned and walked out of the bedroom and out of Santana's life._

* * *

**A/N: Hope that came out ok. Really hated writing it…Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer (totally forgot this for the first 4 chapters): Don't own Glee :( **

**A/N: I've been getting some responses about the last flashback – I know it's heartbreaking, but be patient! ;)**

**-H**

**CHAPTER 5**

High-pitched crying jolted her from her deep slumber. Santana pushed herself off the bed and rubbed her eyes tiredly as she walked to Bella's crib. Her five-month old looked up at her with her dark eyes and slightly trembling lower lip.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Santana whispered, trailing her finger over Bella's forehead. It was something she'd done since her daughter had been born and it seemed to be calming.

Bella's tears ceased and she smiled up at her mother. Santana rolled her eyes and smiled back.

"You manipulate me, baby girl," she teased, reaching down to pick up her daughter. "You already know I can't resist that beautiful smile."

Bella emitted a small gurgle and reached for Santana's face. The Latina giggled at her daughter's clumsy movements.

"Come on, let's go to bed," Santana said tiredly. "Mama's got work in the morning." She nuzzled her nose against Bella's soft neck. "But I really don't want to leave you."

Santana cherished the times when her and Bella would lie on her bed and just look at each other. It was almost like they were having silent conversations. Bella knew every inch of Santana's face and had started trying to mimic the expressions her mother made. Santana thought it was subconscious. Babies couldn't do that kind of stuff already. But the little noises that Bella made, her tiny hands tracing her mother's face, made Santana the proudest mom in the world.

They fell asleep looking at each other, Bella gripping Santana's index and middle fingers.

* * *

Kurt poked his head in the following morning and smiled at the scene. He resisted the urge to take a photo because he knew Santana would beat him senseless. Being a mother had definitely tempered the fiery Latina, but the Santana Lopez from Lima, Ohio was still very much present in her demeanour away from her daughter. No nonsense, tough-talking, confident Santana Lopez was still very much alive.

"How is she?" Finn asked, pouring his brother a cup of coffee.

"I think she's doing ok," Kurt replied. "Thanks," he added, taking the warm cup of caffeine. "I worry that she's working herself too hard though. She's pushing hard at work to finish early so that she can come home to Bella." He paused.

"Kurt," Finn said in a warning tone. "I know that look. Don't interfere too much."

Kurt sighed. "I just…" he paused. "I know they said they wanted nothing to do with her anymore, but I mean they're her _parents_. I'm pretty sure that if they took one look at Bella, they'd realise what a mistake they made by cutting her out of their lives."

Finn thought about what his brother said. Kurt generally didn't just blurt things out for the sake of hearing his voice, unlike his wife, whom he totally still loved despite her…eccentricities. Would Santana really hate them for attempting a reconciliation?

"We should talk to Rachel," he said finally. "Maybe we can trick them into coming here with tickets to her show."

Kurt smiled brightly. "Brilliant idea, Finn."

"Morning, guys," Santana said sleepily, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee. She glanced at the brothers and raised an eyebrow at their guilty faces. "What?"

"Uh, nothing," Kurt said quickly. "We were just talking about what we were going to do for your birthday."

Santana chuckled. "That was last month. And I told you already, I don't want anything. No party, no presents, nothing. You guys have already done so much for me and Bella."

Santana walked back into her room with her coffee and placed it on her bedside table. She wasn't stupid. She knew that they were talking about either her parents or _her_. Santana sighed. She knew they meant well, and she knew that they worried about her, but she was the only one that could really deal with this. Brittany wasn't going to come back and as much as Santana may regret some of the things she said that night, Brittany hadn't made _any_ effort to reconcile.

Bella started to wake up and Santana recognised the look on her daughter's face. She was hungry. Santana sat down on the bed and picked Bella up, cradling her to her breast. She pushed her top up and Bella recognised her source of food immediately and latched on eagerly. Santana chuckled and leaned back, just watching her daughter feed. Their eyes met and Bella gave her a small smile, some milk dribbling out the side of her mouth.

Santana smiled tenderly and wiped the trail away.

Ten minutes later, Bella was full and Santana put her back in her crib after burping her and singing to her softly. As she saw her baby breathing peacefully, her travelled to the clock.

"Shit!" she exclaimed. ""Shit! Shit!" She was going to be so late.

* * *

"Ms. Lopez, this is the third time in two weeks that you're late," Mr. Thomas, her boss, said firmly.

"I know, sir," Santana said apologetically. "I'm doing my best to manage everything."

Mr. Thomas sighed. "I like the way you work, Santana. I really do. That's probably the only reason why you haven't been warned several times already. But if this keeps up, I'm not going to be able to ignore it forever."

"Understood, sir," Santana said gratefully. "I give you my word that I won't let you down. Thank you."

Santana breathed a sigh of relief as she exited her boss' office and took a seat at the desk in front of his door. Sure, being a PA wasn't glamorous, but Santana needed a job and she got some good health benefits – something she knew she would need when she discovered she was pregnant. The medical expenses that went along with delivering a baby had pretty much depleted any and all savings that Santana had managed to keep since she'd started her job a month after realising her impending motherhood.

Santana shook herself out of her trip down memory lane and started checking emails. She had to start somewhere and it didn't matter what she did, as long as she and Bella were safe and she could provide for her daughter.

She ignored the voice in her head that taunted her, saying that her daughter had better get used to second-hand clothes.

* * *

_Santana's hand was shaking as she dialled the familiar area code of Lima and her parents' home number. Kurt held tightly onto her other hand as the Latina struggled to control her breathing._

"_Hello?"_

"Hola, _mama," Santana said quietly._

"_Santana!" Maribel Lopez squealed in delight. "_Mija_, so good to hear from you! How are you?"_

"_Um, I'm, uh, I'm ok," Santana struggled to get out. She switched to Spanish. "Mama, could you fetch Papi? I need to tell you both something."_

"_Santana, what's wrong?" Santana could hear the concern in her mother's voice and her heart broke a little at the thought of her news rupturing their relationship. "_Mija_, are you and Brittany ok?"_

_Santana immediately choked back a sob._

"Mija_, tell me what's wrong right now," Maribel said in rapid Spanish. "Your father is on his way."_

"_Mami," Santana cried, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. "She's gone. Brittany's gone/"_

"Ai, carina_," Maribel said in sympathy. "What happened?"_

"_She l-l-left me to go on a stupid tour," Santana sobbed. "Mami, th-th-that's not why I called though."_

"_Santanita?" It was her father._

"_Papi," Santana said softly, smiling. She was a total Daddy's girl._

"Mija_, what's this all about?"_

_Santana took a deep breath and looked at Kurt, who nodded encouragingly, his hand on hers never faltering._

"_I'm pregnant."_

_Santana looked at the phone in her hand and shook it to check if it was still working._

"_Mami? Papi?"_

"_Is this a joke?" her father asked, his voice low and angry._

_Santana swallowed. "No. It was a stupid mistake, but it is what it is."_

"_How could you be so irresponsible, Santana?" he exploded. "After everything we taught you! You should know better!"_

_Santana closed her eyes, tears streaming down he cheeks uncontrollably. "I-I know. I'm sorry," she whispered._

"_What are you going to do about it?"_

_Santana blinked. "Excuse me?"_

"_You can't possibly think about keeping it. Santana, you're eighteen! You can't raise a baby!"_

_Santana's cheek grew hot. "Papi, you know better than anyone what my views on that are. I don't believe in it. Yes, I made a mistake, but my baby should not have to pay the price for it. I'm keeping it."_

_There was silence again for a while and Santana could hear muffled voices as her parents discussed her situation._

"_Santana."_

"Si_, Papi?"_

"_Is this your decision?"_

"_It is," Santana confirmed._

"_What about the father?"_

_Santana grimaced. "He's not in the picture."_

"_Please don't tell me you had a one night stand and were stupid enough to not use protection."_

"_I-I don't remember," Santana stuttered. God, she sounded like a common slut._

"_Were you raped?"_

"_No," Santana replied. "Just drunk."_

"_This is unbelievable," her father raged, slipping back into Spanish. "I thought we raised a level-headed girl. I let you go to New York because I knew I could trust you. And I let you go because I knew Brittany would be with you. I knew you two would take care of each other."_

_Santana couldn't say anything. Her throat tightened and she couldn't get any words out. It still hurt so much._

"_Santana." Oh, God. She hated this voice. It was the voice he used when he told patients bad news._

"_Papi, please, I need your help," Santana whispered. She had never felt smaller than she did at that point. She was a proud person who didn't ask for help, didn't feel like she needed help. And here she was, begging her father._

"_Santana, I can't help you with this. You have made your choice and I am making mine."_

_Santana's heart broke again. Those words, almost a replica of what her Abuela had said to her the night she'd told her she was gay._

"_Papi, what are you saying?"_

_He sighed audibly. "I cannot support your decision to have this baby. I have given you an option and you have gone against it. Therefore, I cannot stand by and allow you to throw your life away. If you want this baby, you will do it on your own."_

"_What?" Santana whispered._

"_I am cutting you off, Santana. Maybe once you realise that you're too young to do this, you will reconsider my option."_

"_Never," Santana spat. "I refuse to kill my baby because you can't handle that your daughter made a mistake and will have a baby out of wedlock. Your steadfast views are costing you more than you realise. I am your only daughter and you're cutting me off completely?"_

"_You have made your choice and I have made mine."_

_Those words again. Santana burst into tears and dropped the phone, cradling her stomach and bending over. Kurt's eyes went wide. He'd seen Santana break down when Brittany left, but this was a new kind of hurt. She was utterly alone. Everyone she loved had abandoned her. Well, he assumed that's what she was thinking._

"_Santana," he said softly. "We're still here. We're your family. You won't lose us."_

_Santana just shook her head and cried loudly. Sobs wracked her body and Kurt pulled her head onto his lap, stroking her hair soothingly. Santana was possibly the strongest person he'd ever met, and to see her reduced to this scared, helpless girl worried him. How was he supposed to help her? He didn't know the first thing about women's emotions, especially pregnant women's emotions. Hell, he didn't even know anything about pregnancy!_

"_I want Brittany," Santana whispered._

_Kurt squeezed his eyes shut as his heart jumped in his chest for his friend. A tear ran down his face._

"_We're here now," he said softly, continuing to stroke her hair. "No matter what happens, we're going to be there every step of the way with you through this."_

"_Kurt, what am I going to do?" Santana said in a small voice._

_Kurt sighed. "Right now, we're going to wash your face and go and have some ice cream."_

_Santana made a face. "I don't want ice cream."_

"_What do you want?"_

"_Brittany."_

_Kurt sighed again. A love like theirs wouldn't just be erased because of stubborn words and a little distance. He knew that Brittany would know exactly what to do, but he was not about to make that call. Oh no. As much as he loved the blonde dancer, he could not forgive her for leaving Santana without so much as a chance. She should have allowed Santana to help her make the decision instead of simply informing her girlfriend of a major life change._

"_Santana, I know you miss her and right now, I miss her a little too because she would know exactly what to do. I know I'm not Brittany, but I'm here. I'm going to stay with you and help you in any way you need me to."_

"_Thanks," Santana mumbled, sniffing._

"_Ugh, you'd better not stain these pants," Kurt teased. "They cost me a fortune."_

_Santana let out a giggle. "They're your pants, silly."_

_Kurt chuckled. "Fair enough. But I don't make replicas, remember?"_

"_You're one of a kind," Santana sighed, pushing herself into a sitting position. She turned and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you, Kurt."_

_He smiled back. "So, any cravings yet?"_

_Santana chuckled. "I really want breadsticks."_

"_I should've guessed," Kurt replied, shaking his head._

* * *

**A/N: There's one more major flashback in the next chapter and then I'll be moving forward with the story :)**

**Would love to hear your thoughts!**

**-H**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Much love for all the alerts :) Longest chapter yet! Hope you like it.**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 6**

Bella clapped her hands eagerly. Since she'd learnt how to do it a few weeks before, it had become her favourite activity, clapping at anyone and anything. She mumbled in her adorable baby language and crawled around her playpen. Santana sat on the edge of her bed just watching her, a small smile playing on her lips. Her daughter was eight months old today. She couldn't believe how the time had flown.

"Santana, we're ordering Chinese for dinner," Finn said, poking his head in. "What would you like?"

"Oh, I had some food at the cocktail party before coming home," Santana replied dismissively. "Don't worry about me."

"You do realise that Kurt is going to come in here in about thirty seconds and pester you until you order something, right?"

Santana chuckled, knowing that Finn was probably right. "Fine, I'll just have some sweet and sour pork. With noodles. And no veggies."

Finn smiled and shook his head as he disappeared out of the doorway.

"Mmmaaaaaammmaaaaaa," Bella gurgled, grabbing her teething toy and biting it.

Santana froze. "What did you say, baby girl?"

Bella just gave her mother a big smile and went back to her teething toy. Santana moved from the bed and sat down next to Bella's playpen, looking at her intently. Her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, surely.

"Mmmmmaaaaa," Bella said, looking at her toy and waving it around.

Santana smiled and shook her head. She was only eight months old for Christ's sake. She couldn't talk yet.

"Mmmaaammaaa," Bella said again. Santana met her eyes and Bella smiled. "Mmaaammaaa." She held up her arms.

"Oh my God," Santana whispered, her face breaking out into a smile.

She knelt and reached into Bella's playpen, picking her up and seating her daughter on her lap. Bella's hands immediately went to Santana's face, one of favourite things to touch. Santana grabbed Bella's podgy fingers softly between her lips and pretended to eat them, complete with sound effects.

Bella squealed in delight and pulled her hand away to clap. Santana chuckled.

"Mmaaammmaaaa."

Santana met her daughter's eyes and Bella reached up with both hands, placing them over her eyes. "Mmaaammmaaa," she said with a determined tone.

"That's right, baby girl," Santana replied with a smile. "I'm your Mama."

"Mmaaammaaa."

The ecstatic mother gathered her daughter into her arms and ran into the living room.

"She said Mama!" Santana squealed.

The rest of the evening was spent fussing over little Bella's newest development and Santana couldn't have been more proud at that point. There was a chime at the door and Finn ran to see who was downstairs. He buzzed the lobby door for whomever it was – probably the delivery guy. Santana didn't miss the glance between Rachel and Kurt, but her attention was quickly returned to her daughter who was crawling her way around the couch.

A knock at the door reminded her that she was actually quite hungry. "I'll get it," she said.

"Mmmaaaammmaaa," Bella called as she saw her mother leaving.

"Don't worry, baby girl, I'll be right back!" Santana cooed, her smile bright.

She opened the door and the smile dropped right off her face. Her heart started hammering. Was this some kind of cruel reality?

"W-what are you doing here?"

* * *

_Kurt found Santana in a towel curled on her bed. Her pillow was soaked with tears and her body was freezing._

"_Come on, Santana, let's get you dressed," he said soothingly._

"_She's gone," Santana sobbed. "She's gone, gone, gone, gone. She doesn't love me."_

"_I'm sure she does." Kurt tried to comfort, but he'd never seen the usually strong Latina this vulnerable. He'd received the distressing call and had come over straight away, deciding that Rachel would probably say the wrong thing and Finn wouldn't actually do anything. "She's probably realising what a mistake she's made and she's on her way back right now."_

_Santana lifted her head and looked at Kurt through blurry eyes. "You think so?"_

"_I'm sure," Kurt replied, smiling. He hoped that his voice sounded more confident than he felt._

"_I love her so much, but she doesn't love me back. And I told her I hated her. Why would I say that?" Santana began again, mumbling as her tears started._

_Kurt felt a strange surge of anger at the blonde dancer. It was virtually impossible for anyone to get mad with Brittany because she really was just so innocent and happy all the time. There had to be an explanation for her just leaving and causing Santana this amount of pain._

_Kurt got up off the bed and rummaged through Santana's dresser and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. He sat back down on the bed next to where Santana was holding her pillow for dear life._

"_Sit up, Santana," he said gently. "You need to put on clothes before you get sick."_

_Santana sighed and obeyed, her body like a rag doll though. Kurt dressed her carefully, not caring that Santana was naked before him. She didn't seem to either._

"_Are you hungry?" Kurt asked once Santana was dressed._

"_Shit! The dinner!" Santana bolted out of the bed and ran into the kitchen. She pulled the oven open and peered inside. The oven had been turned off, but the mac and cheese was pretty much ruined anyway. Brittany must have turned it off before she left. Her thoughtfulness just brought on another bout of tears and Santana crumpled against the cupboards as she sobbed._

"_Ssshhh," Kurt soothed, pulling the Latina into his arms._

"_Kurt, what did I do?" Santana cried, burying her face in his chest. "She's never coming back and it's all my fault."_

"_She left, Santana, not you."_

"_But I made her go," Santana insisted. "I'm not good enough for her. She deserves so much better. She deserves the world and I told her to stay here with me. And she said no."_

_Kurt frowned. He was pretty certain that the Latina had played a small part in Brittany leaving – they all knew the damage her vicious words could do, especially when she was upset. But Kurt couldn't let go of the fact that Brittany had actually left her, that she hadn't tried to work it out before she left. Long distance was an option, wasn't it?_

"_I think you should come home with me," Kurt said._

"_B-but what if she comes back to get her stuff?" Santana said suddenly._

"_Santana, look at me." Kurt said firmly, gripping her shoulders. "If Brittany wanted to come back, she would be the one with her arms around you right now, not me. If she wants to leave, then let her leave. If you mean as much to her as she professes then she'll come back to you."_

"_B-but, I want her now," Santana sobbed. "I don't care if she goes, she needs to know that I love her."_

"_Then call her, Santana," Kurt said gently, handing her his phone._

_Santana grabbed it and quickly dialled the number she knew so well. She listened to it ring before someone picked up._

"_Br-"_

"_Look, Kurt, I know you're probably calling because of Santana, but I've made my decision. She won't support me and I'm done living my life through her. It's time I followed my own dream. I-I'm sorry that it had to come to this, but if I don't do this now, I'll always regret it and that's not fair to either of us. Take care of her, ok?"_

_Santana dropped the phone as a dial tone erupted in her ear. Kurt clutched her as she trembled, her sobs vibrating throughout her entire body. He had no idea what to do. Brittany really wasn't coming back._

* * *

_Santana didn't get out of bed for a week, despite numerous attempts by Kurt, Rachel and Finn. She hardly ate, just slept and cried. The sounds coming from the spare room in their apartment worried her three friends to the brink of insanity. They just didn't know what to do anymore. She was almost catatonic._

"_Finals are coming up for her. She's worked too hard this year to let it all go to waste. __We have to get her back into some kind of a normal routine," Rachel said in exasperation for about the tenth time. "She's going to end up killing herself and I, for one, don't need a scandal like that this early in my career."_

"_Seriously, Rachel?" Finn said, frowning at his fiancée. "This is Santana. She's become one of our best friends. She's heartbroken and about two days away from seriously hurting herself and you can only think about your career?"_

"_I…" Rachel trailed off, at a loss for words._

"_We have one option left," Kurt said in resignation. "I really didn't want it to come to this, but we have to break out the tough love. It's not going to be pretty and she's going to fight it tooth and nail, but it has to be done."_

"_You're right," Finn said, standing up. "What's the first step?"_

_Kurt looked at the closed bedroom door. "First, we get her out of bed and into a shower. Then clean clothes and something to eat. We'll see how that goes and take it from there. I have a feeling just getting her to do that will be difficult enough."_

_Rachel and Finn nodded and followed Kurt to the guest room. They opened the door and heard quiet sniffles coming from inside the dark room. Kurt flicked the light switch on and Santana moaned, throwing the covers over her head._

"_Go away!" she mumbled. "Just leave me alone."_

"_I'm afraid the time of leaving you alone is over," Kurt said firmly. "We're done watching you waste your life away."_

_Finn and Kurt went to the side of the bed that Santana was curled up on and Rachel gripped the duvet, ready to pull it off. Kurt nodded and Rachel yanked, exposing Santana's tiny frame huddled in a ball._

"_Leave me alone!" she cried, holding herself tighter._

"_Finn, take her shoulders," Kurt instructed._

_His brother wrapped his huge arms around the top half of Santana's body and held her so that she couldn't get free. Kurt grabbed her legs and surprised everyone with the strength he possessed and held her thrashing legs firmly against the bed._

"_Rachel, the shower," he commanded._

_Rachel disappeared into the en suite whilst Finn and Kurt struggled with a thrashing Santana. This was the most life they'd seen in her since before Brittany left, so it was already progress._

_Santana screamed as Finn and Kurt eventually got her into the shower._

"_Rachel, I know you're not going to be happy about what happens next, but suck it up, ok?" Kurt said through gritted teeth._

_Rachel frowned and watched as Kurt and Finn began to undress the protesting Latina. It wasn't easy. Finn had to keep a hold of Santana's shoulders, which made it difficult to get her shirt off. Rachel set her jaw and stepped forward, grabbing the bottom of Santana's shirt and lifting it. Decency was not important at this point. Finn relaxed one hand on Santana as Rachel thread her arm out of the shirt. Santana eventually realised what was happening and started crying._

"_Why are you doing this?" she sobbed. "I can't do anything without her! She doesn't want me anymore! I'm not worth anything!" She screamed the last part._

"_Santana Lopez, you listen to me! I know that your heart is broken, but it will heal. It's going to take a while, but you have to continue living your life." Santana's sobs quietened at Rachel Berry scolding her like a child. "You're going to end up killing yourself if you continue like this! I know it hurts, _trust_ me, but what about all the people here that still love you? You've got me and Kurt and Finn and your parents and what about your friends at college?"_

_Santana sniffed, tear tracks all over her face. She looked at Rachel curiously._

"_You don't know what this feels like," she whispered fiercely._

"_Yes, I do," Rachel replied in the same tone. "I've been in love with the same boy since freshman year. When he finally noticed me, I was only a momentary distraction. That broke my heart. To have him finally look at me and _notice_ me, but in the next second turn around back to his perfect life with his perfect girlfriend."_

_She glanced at Finn, who was looking back at her with a pained expression._

"_Then I made the biggest mistake of my life by being petty and trying to get back at Finn for sleeping with you, but all that got me was more heartache. Yes, Finn and I eventually reconciled, but it wasn't easy on either of us. Love is never easy. It hurts more than anything and we know how much you love Brittany so we know that you're hurting a lot._

"_But, you have us here to help you get through it. We're not going anywhere, Santana, because this isn't something that you should have to deal with on your own. And that's what we're doing now. We're helping you. You can't let yourself waste away anymore."_

_Santana struggled against Finn and Kurt, but they just held her tighter._

"_Let me go."_

_Her voice was resigned and Rachel held up a hand in agreement. The boys released the broken Latina and she fell into Rachel's waiting arms. She gave them a look and they exited the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Rachel held Santana tightly as she cried a fresh set of tears. How did this girl possibly have any more tears to cry? Rachel sighed and just held her for a few minutes until the sobs subsided._

"_Let's get you washed up," Rachel said gently, pulling back and stroking Santana's hair. "How does that sound?"_

_Santana nodded slowly and seemed to just realise that she was naked from her pants upwards._

"_Oh, shit," she murmured immediately folding her arms across her breasts._

"_Relax, Santana," Rachel said, smiling. "I have a pair of those too. Nothing I haven't seen before."_

"_Those flea bites don't compare to my rambunctious twins," Santana snipped, sounding very much like her old self. Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry," she murmured._

_Rachel laughed. "Santana, it's perfectly all right. I almost started insulting myself because my day just didn't seem complete without one of your comments."_

_Santana cracked a small smile. "I've been so horrible to you. Why are you being so nice to me?"_

_"Well, like I said earlier, we're friends and regardless of the fact that we became friends because of a certain blonde who shall remain nameless, I care for you and to see you hurt like this hurts me."_

"_Thank you," Santana whispered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now though." Her face scrunched up like a new set of tears was about to escape._

"_We start with a shower," Rachel suggested. "It'll make you feel better. And then we'll get some lunch. How does that sound?"_

_Santana took a deep breath and nodded. 'Ok."_

* * *

_It took two days for Santana to go back to class. Her grades were suffering, but after a week of getting back into her routine, she was on her way to getting back on track. Finals were just starting so she used studying as an excuse to try and forget about Brittany. She still cried every night, but she was eating and she sat in the living room with Kurt, Rachel and Finn, talking about anything and everything._

_She also became close with Rachel. If anyone had told her in high school that Rachel frigging Berry would become her lifesaver, she would've kicked their ass six ways from Sunday._

_After a month, Santana seemed to be coping. She'd done really well on her finals and her freshman year was almost done, she'd regained the weight she'd lost during her week of self-starvation and she was even smiling a little. She hadn't been back to the apartment that she'd shared with Brittany. Kurt, Rachel and Finn had slowly been fetching her clothes and toiletries from the apartment._

_It was a Friday – Santana remembered that much. She'd woken up that morning feeling surprisingly ok. Mornings and nights were generally the worst because that's when she'd miss Brittany's company the most._

_She had some breakfast and went to class and before she knew it, Friday night movie night was upon her and she was curled up next to Kurt as they watched _Singin' In The Rain_._

"_Gene Kelly sure can dance," Finn commented._

"_Him and Frank Sinatra were the dynamic duo of the fifties," Kurt added. "If I had to be reborn, I would've loved to have been born in 1946."_

_Santana chuckled lightly. "You have that down to the exact year?"_

"_What, you haven't thought about when you'd like to be reborn?"_

_Santana shrugged. "Not really. Maybe today would be a good day."_

_Kurt, Finn and Rachel share a quick glance and decide to give that comment a wide berth. As well as Santana was doing, they didn't want to risk delving into something that could send her into a backwards spiral._

"_I think Debbie Reynolds was seriously under appreciated as an actress," Rachel said quickly. "I mean, she had such an amazing voice and she was a great dancer."_

"_Well, when you're competing against the likes of Cyd Charisse and Leslie Caron, it's understandable," Kurt argued. "They were classic Hollywood beauties."_

"_And they had legs for miles," Santana added._

"_Not the point," Kurt continued, but Santana smiled._

"_Ah, come on, Porcelain," Santana teased. "You're telling me that Hollywood wasn't just as fickle then as they are today?"_

"_Well…" Kurt contemplated. "I suppose you have a point."_

"_Exactly. Cyd Charisse insured her legs for $5 million. And that was back in the fifties," Santana continued. "Hollywood will always be obsessed with appearances and Debbie Reynolds didn't have that classic Hollywood look, as you called it." She shrugged. "That's life."_

"_Santana, I had no idea that you were so knowledgeable about musicals," Rachel said with a smile._

"_Um, you do remember me spending three years in Glee Club with you, right?" Santana replied, returning her smile. "You never shut up about musicals. Some of it must've infiltrated my brain without me realising it."_

"_Can that happen?" Finn mused._

"_Deflect all you want, Lopez," Rachel retorted good-naturedly. "You enjoyed Glee as much as the rest of us."_

_Santana grinned and turned her attention back to the movie. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in her bed the next morning. She sat up and frowned, moving her facial muscles. Normally her skin was dry from the crying and her eyes were sore, but she felt neither. She stood up and walked to her dressing table, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She looked fine. She didn't cry. For the first time since Brittany had left, she'd managed an entire day without crying._

"_This calls for a celebration," Rachel declared when Santana told her._

"_Berry, it's not a big deal," Santana replied, rolling her eyes. "Let's just be happy that I seem to be moving on."_

"_Nonsense," Rachel insisted. "We haven't been out in ages. Finn will be our designated driver and we're going to hit the town tonight."_

_Santana smiled. "I'm not sure if I want to experience clingy drunk Berry."_

"_I'll cling to Finn," Rachel replied with a wink. "Come on, Santana. It'll be fun!"_

_Santana sighed dramatically. "Fine," she conceded._

_And she surprised herself by having a lot of fun. Granted, that fun came in the form of copious amounts of alcohol. Way more than she'd had in a very long time. Santana remembered dancing with Rachel and giggling over tequila shots then nothing._

_She groaned inwardly and forced her eyes open. The first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her room. The second thing she noticed was that she was naked._

Crap, crap, crap, crap. Shit, no, please let me not have done something so completely stupid!_ Santana thought, dreading the sight that met her as she slowly turned her head._

_All she could see was a head of short dark hair and an arm across the pillow next to her face. The arm was big, like man big. Santana swallowed the sudden rise of bile that rose in her throat and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the amount of alcohol she'd inhaled._

_A guy was in the bed next to her. She'd slept with a guy. She'd had drunk sex with a _guy_._

Fuck.

_She needed to get out of there. Santana sat up slowly, ignoring the pounding her head. God, she was never drinking again. Ever. She managed to locate her clothes and bag and stumbled quietly towards the door of the mystery guy's room. She opened the door and slipped out, glancing around the empty apartment. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and tiptoed clumsily to the front door._

_Once she was outside, Santana took a deep breath and burst into tears._

* * *

Santana stood frozen in shock at the front door.

"Hi," Kurt said, coming up behind her. "Thanks very much for coming. I know that this is probably really awkward, but we thought that it was time the air was cleared between you."

Santana felt Rachel's hands on her shoulders, guiding her away from the door and towards the couch. The sound of Bella calling her snapped Santana back to the present and she picked up her waiting daughter.

She took a deep breath and looked up.

"What are you doing here, Papi?"

* * *

**A/N: Ba-dum! Don't hate me! I know you guys want Brittany to make her grand reappearance and I promise it's coming! I think this flashback was pretty much the last big one. I hope it clears up some questions that you guys had. There will probably be a few shorter ones as the story unfolds. But from here we go forward in time ;)**

**Would love some feedback :)**

**-H**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 7**

Santana looked at her father carefully. He looked a lot older than he had the last time she'd seen him, which had been over Christmas freshman year. God, had two years already passed since then? Her mother sat quietly next to him, ever the subservient wife. Their eyes met and all Santana saw was sorrow.

Her father was the one who made the decisions in the Lopez household. That was a big part of the reason that Santana had been such a rebellious teenager. Of course, her father overlooked anything she did because she was his only daughter and he doted on her. Her mother was the perfect housewife and Santana's relationship with Maribel was good.

That was why her father's decision to cut her off had hurt so much. She had honestly thought that telling them about her pregnancy would have helped her situation. Instead, she'd only made things worse.

"You look good, _mija_," Maribel said softly.

"Mmmaaammmaaa," Bella murmured, palming Santana's breasts.

"Uh…I think she's hungry," Santana stammered nervously. "I'll just go and feed her quickly."

Santana stood up with Bella on her hip and paused when her mother stood up too. She waited expectantly.

"Could I…come with?" she asked quietly.

Santana bit her lip then nodded once, walking into her room. Her mother followed and closed the door behind her. Santana sat down on her bed and undid the first few buttons on her blouse, smiling at Bella's eager hands.

"Easy, baby girl," she chuckled. "I'm getting there."

Maribel stood by the door and just watched in awe as her daughter fed _her_ daughter. Her granddaughter. Her first grandchild. She swallowed.

"She's beautiful, Santana," she said, her voice coming out a lot less strong than she'd intended. "She looks like you."

Santana looked up and inclined her head towards her mother, indicating that she join her. Maribel finally walked hesitantly over to the bed and sat down next to Santana.

"What's her name?" Maribel whispered, clenching her hand to stop it from reaching out and brushing the dark locks on her granddaughter's head.

"Isabella," Santana replied. "Bella for short."

"Isabella," Maribel repeated in surprise. "After…after my mother?"

Santana nodded, meeting her mother's eyes. "Regardless of how she reacted to me being gay, she was still a very big part of my life and I owe a lot of who I am to her."

"You are a good person, Santana,_ mi carina_. So much better than me." Maribel started to cry softly.

"Why are you crying?" Santana asked curiously.

"Because I am a terrible mother," Maribel replied through her tears. "_Mija_, I wanted so badly to come and see you and be here for you when you were pregnant. I wanted to tell your father that we shouldn't have abandoned you. But…"

"I know how he is," Santana said softly. She sighed. "A phone call would've been nice, Mama. Anything, just something to tell me that you still cared."

She looked at Bella again, whose eyes were closed, happily sucking away.

"She's about seven months?" Maribel asked.

"Eight months today," Santana replied.

"Oh," Maribel breathed. "You've done a great job,_ mija_. I'm so, so proud of you."

Santana's throat felt tight. "Are you?" she asked, her natural defences springing up. "Or are you just saying that because you feel guilty about cutting off your only child and by extension, your only grandchild?"

Maribel opened and closed her mouth. Her daughter's words weren't wrong. "_Mija_, I am so incredibly proud of you for sticking to your beliefs and carrying Bella. I know that you don't believe in abortion, although your reputation in high school would have suggested otherwise." Her eyes went wide and she clamped a hand over her mouth.

Santana simply smirked. "Mama, you know that I was…promiscuous in high school. I don't deny that. But I was always, _always_ careful about protection. I definitely did not want to be a Fabray 2.0 and I sure as hell was not ready to have a baby in high school."

"Were you ready to have a baby now?"

"No," Santana replied honestly, smiling down at her daughter, "but I believe everything happens for a reason and now she's my whole world. I couldn't imagine my life without her."

Maribel coughed quietly, not wanting to pry, but wanting to know everything at the same time. "Do you have a good life here, _mija_? Are you doing ok?"

Santana sighed. "Honestly, Mama, it's hard. It's really hard. I hate being away from her and I know that I'm so lucky to have Kurt and Rachel and Finn cos they help out all the time, but I think of what's going to happen when she has to go to school. What happens when she grows out of the clothes she has now? I'm getting by, but all my savings went to paying the hospital when I delivered her." She shrugged. "So I'm starting from scratch and my paycheck goes only so far. My friends are happy to help, but-"

"But you want to be able to take care of your daughter yourself," Maribel said knowingly. She smiled. "You are your father's daughter. So determined to do everything yourself."

Santana smiled. "I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult."

Maribel lifted a shoulder. "Take it as you will." She took a deep breath. "_Mija_, I'll be honest, I was expecting a thunderstorm from you. Instead, I get a cool summer's day. Not that I'm complaining," she added quickly.

"Being a bitch takes up way too much energy these days," Santana said simply. "Bella needs all my focus and I've found a balance. At work, I'm still confident and don't take any shit, but here, I'm just me. I'm just Bella's mom."

"You've grown up so much in two years, _mija_."

"I had to," Santana shrugged.

They were quiet for a few moments, just looking at Bella. Santana winced as her daughter bit down a little.

"Is she starting to teethe?" Maribel asked.

"Yeah, she started about three weeks ago," Santana replied. "She's just starting to realise that they – ow! – can inflict some damage."

Santana looked down and swore she saw a mischievous glint in her daughter's eyes, but brushed it off as her mind playing tricks on her. Bella yawned widely, showing the teeth that were only just starting to push through.

"Has it been hurting her a lot?" Maribel asked.

"She hasn't been complaining," Santana replied, sitting Bella up and smiling at her. Her daughter returned the smile and clapped, then burped, some regurgitated milk dribbling from her mouth. "Oh, God," Santana muttered, grabbing a towel from Bella's crib and wiping up the mess. "Way to impress, Bella."

The youngest Lopez just smiled again.

"Can I…?" Maribel asked quietly.

Santana looked at her mother. "Mama," she sighed, "I know you have the best intentions at heart, but I don't want Bella to get used to you and then never see you again. Why did you and Papi come here?"

Maribel fiddled with her fingers. "Kurt called us about two weeks ago. He said that you've been sad and that we need to make things right with you."

"Really?" Santana asked in surprise. "Papi went along with that?"

"Well, that's what Kurt told _me_. I told your father that we'd received special preview tickets to Rachel Berry's new show."

"Unbelievable," Santana chuckled, allowing her daughter to grab her finger and suck on it. "What did he say when he found out it was a ploy?"

"He…wasn't overly happy, but I made him come and see you and our granddaughter."

"I'm glad you did," Santana said quietly.

"Me too, _mija_," Maribel said, placing a hand over the once Santana was using to brace herself on the bed.

"I missed you so much. I know that I wasn't at home, but at least I knew that I had a mom. That feeling of not having parents anymore…I hated it. I felt so empty."

"Oh, Santana, you never lost us."

"Mama," Santana said with a frown, "please. You may have not renounced me as your daughter, but by cutting me out of your lives, I had to cut you out of mine. It was too painful to miss you and wish you'd call. I had to survive. I had to be strong."

Maribel nodded, tears springing to her eyes again. "_Mija_, I want to be in your life again. I don't care what your father says. I won't let you go so easily this time. Besides the fact that I want to see my granddaughter grow up, I want to be able to pick up the phone and call you and talk about nonsense for two hours."

Santana smiled. "I think I miss those calls the most out of everything. Just knowing that I could pick up the phone and call you was so comforting to me. And then I wasn't allowed to do that all of a sudden."

"So…can I hold her now?" Maribel asked shyly.

Santana held Bella up to her face and gave her an Eskimo kiss. "What do you say, baby girl? You want to meet your Abuela?"

Bella scrunched up her nose and tucked her head into her mother's neck. Santana chuckled. "Give us a few minutes, Mama. She's not normally shy."

Maribel nodded and Santana stood up, slowly moving around the room in what looked like a practiced dance. She started humming and Bella's dark eyes found Maribel's. She immediately hid again, causing her grandmother to smile.

"Bella?" Santana asked softly.

Bella looked up at her mother and smiled. "Mmmmaaaammaa."

Maribel gasped. "Did she just-"

"Yeah," Santana said proudly. "She said it for the first time earlier today. I don't think my smile could've been any wider."

"Precious," Maribel whispered, holding a hand to her heart.

"Bella, baby. I want to introduce you to someone. Don't be shy, ok? She's my mama."

Bella's eyes recognised the words and Santana motioned for Maribel to come and stand with her. Maribel walked slowly towards her daughter and Bella smiled at her.

"Go say hi to your Abuela, baby," Santana said softly, gently placing Bella in Maribel's arms.

"Hi," Maribel breathed. "Wow. You're so beautiful. Such a pretty girl. Just like your mama."

"Mmmaammaaa," Bella said proudly, looking at Santana.

"That's right, baby," Santana said, waving.

Bella clapped her hands and smiled up at Maribel.

"Thank you for this, _mija_. I can't tell you the joy this brings me."

Santana stood next to her mother and rested her head on her shoulder. Bella smiled up at them both. The three generations stood in silence, just appreciating each other's company for a few quiet minutes until Bella took a breath and squealed loudly, causing Maribel to jump a little.

Santana laughed. "She wants to be put down. She has far too much energy. At least she knows she needs to get rid of it before she can sleep."

"How are you sleeping, _mija_?" Maribel asked in concern. "I mean, I know new mothers are tired, but you look exhausted."

Santana smiled wearily. "For the first two months, she wouldn't sleep longer than two or three hours at a time. And then she'd only sleep if she was in bed with me. She settled into a more stable pattern when she hit four months, but by then I was already back at work, which meant that at night she wanted to spend time with me and wouldn't fall asleep. She was getting her eight hours during the day whilst I was getting maybe three a night."

"_Ai, mija_," Maribel breathed apologetically.

Santana shrugged. "Yeah, I'm exhausted, but seeing her smile, hearing her call me mama, it makes it all worth it."

"I know what you mean. You were exactly the same, a restless baby. But when you were sleeping or making those adorable noises when I sang to you, my heart melted and I didn't care that I only got a few hours of sleep a night. Besides, it doesn't last forever."

"Yup," Santana agreed, walking to the door as Bella started to squirm. "She's starting to sleep more at night so I'm getting more like five hours a night now, which is making a difference."

She opened the door and walked into the living room, Maribel following with Bella in her arms. Upon seeing the open space she loved to explore, Bella squealed again and started squirming in Maribel's arms.

"Ok, you little Energizer bunny," Santana chuckled, taking her daughter from her mother's arms. She caught her friends' curious gazes. "Guys? Could you monitor her explorations, please? I think I need some time here."

"Sure," Rachel replied, making a face at Bella that caused the baby to smile widely. With Rachel, Kurt and Finn minding Bella, Santana sat down on the couch again, this time her mother sat down next to her.

"Hi, Daddy," she said softly, looking up and smiling softly.

The look in his eyes was heartbreaking. "Nita," he said in a gruff voice laced with emotion. "You look tired."

"Lio," Maribel warned.

Santana smiled. "It's ok, Mama." She turned to focus her full attention on her father. "I am tired, Papi. Bella's been keeping me up pretty much since she was born and I work during the day so I sleep when I can, but it's not always enough."

"Lio, I think there's something we both need to say to Santana," Maribel said firmly, giving her husband a stern look.

Emilio Lopez let out a grunt, but his eyes softened when he saw his daughter cock her head in anticipation, her eyes holding nothing but longing.

"_Mija_," he started. He cleared his throat. "Santanita, I know that…what I said…" He gripped his head in his hands in fustration.

"_Tal vez se dice en español?_" Santana suggested.

Emilio nodded and met his daughter's eyes again, speaking in Spanis,. "Santanita, I was wrong. I was angry and I couldn't see past it. All I saw was you throwing away your future. You were throwing everything away that you'd worked so hard for." He paused. "I miss you. I miss hearing your voice. I miss your laugh. I miss your teasing. I even miss you yelling at me." Santana's serious face broke into a smile.

"I miss you too, Papi," Santana said in Spanish. "All I needed was your love and support. That's all I asked for."

"I know," Emilio replied. "And I am so sorry that it took me almost two years to get over myself. Can…can you forgive me? Forgive us? I need my little girl back."

Santana smiled widely and rose, seating herself in her father's lap like she used to do before she left Ohio. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, breathing in his familiar scent.

"I love you, Daddy. And of course I forgive you. I have you now and that's what important. I missed you both so much." Santana held out a hand in the direction where her mother was still sitting and undoubtedly crying. Maribel sat down next to her husband and Santana wrapped and arm around each of her parents. She felt so happy. She had thought that only Bella could bring her this kind of happiness, but she hadn't realised how much she had missed her parents until they walked into her apartment.

"Now what?" Santana asked as she pulled back, looking between her parents.

"Can I meet my granddaughter?" Emilio asked.

Santana grinned. "Of course." She jumped off his lap and knelt on the couch, looking behind it. Sure enough, her daughter was crawling along the back of the couch, fascinated by the small frills at the bottom.

"Bella," she sang.

Her daughter immediately looked up and smiled. "Mmmaaammaa."

Santana bent over and held out her arms. Bella immediately raised her own and squealed in delight as her mother held her close and nuzzled her neck.

"I have someone else for you to meet," Santana told her daughter. She shifted on the couch until she was sitting on the end closest to her father. He had a mixture of fear and awe on his face. "This is my Papi. He's your Abuelo."

"Mmaammaaa."

Santana chuckled. "So far, that's all her vocabulary consists of."

"Amazing," Emilio murmured. He tentatively reached a hand out towards Bella who smiled at him and grabbed his finger, immediately putting it in her mouth.

"Bella's mouth, the world of discovery," Santana said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"She's perfect," Emilio said softly. "Santana, you've done wonderfully."

"Thanks, Daddy," Santana said, blushing. Praise from her father was a rare occurrence, so when she got it, she held onto it.

"I'm…" his voice caught again. "I'm-"

"We're," Maribel interrupted, placing her arm on her husband's leg. She nodded to him.

"Yes, _we're_ both so proud of you."

Santana blinked back the tears that materialised out of nowhere. "I can't tell you how much that means to me. Thank you."

All the Lopez's had huge smiles, and the youngest just had a finger in her mouth, perfectly content.

* * *

**A/N: Lots of fluff, yes, but amends needed to be made :) Feedback is muchly appreciated :)**

**-H**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 8**

Santana checked her reflection one more time in the mirror and frowned. She didn't feel normal. This wasn't something that moms wore.

"What's that look for?" Kurt queried, poking his head into her bedroom.

"I don't know," Santana mused. "Isn't this too…slutty for a mom?"

Kurt laughed loudly and Bella joined in from her spot on the bed, clapping her hands.

"Yeah, great support base you guys are," Santana quipped, winking at her daughter.

"Mama," Bella said seriously.

"Yes, baby girl?" Santana replied, kneeling down in front of her daughter.

Bella went on a rampage of mumbled baby noises with a few discernible vowels and consonants, her hands on her mother's face.

"You should listen to her," Kurt said matter-of-factly when Bella finished. "She's wise beyond her years."

"One year," Santana corrected. She smiled and nuzzled Bella's neck, causing her to squeal happily. "My baby's already one whole year old today, aren't you?"

"Mama!" Bella giggled.

"Ok, seriously," Santana said, standing up and doing a pirouette in front of her daughter. "What do you think? Can you be seen out in public with your mother looking like this?"

Bella stared at her mother with a straight face before breaking out into a smile and clapping her hands.

"The fashionista has spoken," Kurt said dramatically. "For what my two cents may be worth, I think you look stunning."

Santana blushed and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Kurtie," she cooed. "I'm a total milf, right?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I think you could add any letter to the beginning of that word and you'd be good to go. Santana Lopez, ilf extraordinaire."

Santana laughed loudly and Bella joined in. Kurt waved and disappeared out of the bedroom.

"Mama," Bella said, waving her arms in the air. Santana bent down and picked up her daughter.

"And what about you, pretty girl? Do you like your dress? Abuela picked it out specially for you for today."

Bella smiled and placed a kiss on her mom's cheek. Well, more like slobbered on her mom's cheek. Santana chuckled and wiped the drool discreetly. Bella always seemed to get upset that her mother was wiping away her kisses.

"Look at us, baby girl," Santana said, standing with her daughter in front of the mirror. "We're a pair of hot bitches, you and me."

"Language, Santana!" Rachel called as she walked past the bedroom.

"Whoops," Santana giggled. "You're super smart though, Bella, so I know you won't use that word _ever_."

Bella looked perplexed and Santana saw her lips moving around to form an unfamiliar word. Her eyes widened.

"Who are you?" she asked quickly, tickling Bella with her index finger.

"Beeeewwaaa," Bella said proudly.

"That's right," Santana said. "And who am I?"

"Mama!"

"My baby, the genius," Santana chuckled. "C'mon, let's go light up the world."

She paused as she realised what she'd said. She shook it off and grabbed her coat and Bella's blanket before heading out.

* * *

"Daddy, this place is amazing," Santana said in awe once she'd got Bella settled in her baby seat at the table and had a chance to look around. "It seems a little out of my price range though."

"_Mija_, don't be ridiculous," Emilio said with a smile. "It's our granddaughter's first birthday and we are entitled to take her and her beautiful mother out to dinner."

"_Gracias_, Papi."

"Papi!" Bella said suddenly.

The look on Emilio's face was priceless. Santana just smiled. Her daughter had been saying that word because she kept hearing her mother use it when she was on the phone to her father.

"I-I-I-I…"

"It's all right, Daddy," Santana said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "It's only because that's what I call you."

"So there's no…?" Maribel queried.

"God, no!" Santana said to her mother, laughing. "That was a one time flook. It definitely won't happen again."

"And anyone else, _mija_?" her mother prodded gently.

Santana sighed, her eyes belaying the sudden sadness she felt at knowing she was alone. Well, not alone, but that she didn't have someone at her side to love her and care for her and take her out. She definitely missed it. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she missed a certain blonde.

"No, Mami," she replied eventually. "There's no one."

"Have you tried to get in contact with…her?"

Santana smiled sadly at her mother, who reached over and squeezed her hand. "I did. About two months ago, I decided to try and reach out, to rectify the damage I'd caused. But her number is disconnected and her parents didn't answer."

"And that's all?" Emilio asked, frowning. "Santanita, this is Brittany we're talking about. You're not going to try harder than that?"

Santana took a shaky breath and willed the tears to stay away. "This whole thing has been hard, Papi," she said replied softly. "Of course I want to see her. I want to be able to tell her how sorry I am. I want to introduce her to Bella." She ran her finger across her daughter's forehead, causing the youngest Lopez to look up and smile at her. "But I have to accept that it may be too late. I took the leap, even though Kurt and Rachel told me not to, and I didn't find her on the other end." She shrugged. "I believe, more than ever, that everything happens for a reason. If Brittany hadn't left, I wouldn't have Bella and I can't imagine my life without her."

"Are you still angry with her?"

"I don't know," Santana said honestly. "We both said some really hurtful things that night. I was angry for a long time because she came and _told_ me that she was going. She didn't even attempt to discuss it with me. So maybe I'm still angry about that. But mostly, I think I'm just sad. I'll probably always be sad. There's no one like her."

"_Ai, mija_," Maribel said sympathetically. "I'm sure that someday you two might be able to work things out."

"I don't know about that, Mami. I don't know if we can ever go back to what we had. Too much has changed. But…I don't know. I guess I'd like to know if we could ever be friends again." Santana shook her head. "But the chances of that happening are so remote. I don't even know where she is."

Bella banged on the table, frowning at her mother.

"Sorry, baby girl," Santana apologised, smiling. "You're absolutely right. Today is _your_ birthday and here we are talking about my sad history."

"Her dress looks gorgeous," Maribel said proudly.

"You have a good eye, Mami," Santana agreed. "But then again, you always did."

"And you also look lovely, Santanita," Emilio said, taking his daughter's hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

Santana blushed. "_Gracias_, Papi."

"Papi!" Bella said loudly.

The table laughed.

* * *

Brittany pulled her jacket around her tightly as she trudged home after a long day at the dance studio. She was exhausted, but couldn't afford to slack on her training. She had landed a gig on _Dancing With The Stars_ as one of the professional dancers. She was due to fly out to LA in a few days.

She passed a few high-class restaurants and smirked at the lavish interiors. She hated how the high society lauded their wealth over everyone. Not that she was struggling. Her back to back world tours with Rihanna and then Madonna had blown up her bank account, but she was never home so she had no reason to spend it.

As she walked past the entrance to a particular restaurant, she happened to glance in and immediately froze. What in all the hell were the chances?

Santana walked through the restaurant, heading towards what Brittany assumed was the restroom. She passed the bar and Brittany saw her turn around when a guy had obviously made some sort of comment. Brittany smiled when she saw Santana's expression. The guy was getting a royal telling off for even thinking that he could talk to her.

God, she looked amazing. She was just as beautiful as Brittany remembered, possibly even more so. Her legs, damn. Brittany missed those muscular legs. She used to stare at them for hours. She was wearing crazy heels that just accentuated them, but Santana had always loved her heels.

Santana snapped her hand and flipped her hair as she turned away from the now blushing guy at the bar and continued toward the bathroom or wherever she was going. Brittany couldn't move. She wanted to run in and see her, see those dark eyes trained on her. She wanted to see that dimple she loved so much. She wanted to kiss Santana's gorgeous lips.

"Crap," Brittany muttered to herself. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be over Santana. It had been almost two years, for Christ's sake.

Her eyes were drawn to the restaurant window as she saw Santana walking across the room again. Brittany allowed her eyes to travel up and down her ex-girlfriend's form, taking a sharp breath in. She was wearing red, Brittany's absolute favourite colour on her. The dress was short and tight and showed off her amazing cleavage. Brittany didn't think that there would ever be a time when she didn't find the Latina completely and utterly sexy.

Her gaze was torn from Santana when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She fished it out and looked back to the window, but Santana had disappeared. She sighed in resignation.

"Hello?" she answered her phone.

"Hey, Britt!"

"Sara," Brittany greeted, a small smile crossing her face. She turned and started walking again. "What's up?"

"I made some mac and cheese for dinner. When do you think you'll be home?"

"I'm about ten minutes away," Brittany replied.

"Ok, great. I'll dish up for you and maybe later we can have some dessert," she said suggestively.

Brittany contemplated her options. Having a fuck buddy was useful, especially considering that her libido hadn't decreased at all since high school. She could blame Santana for that.

_Dammit! Stop thinking about her!_

"Brittany?"

"Sure," Brittany said. "See you soon."

"I'll be waiting,' Sara said flirtatiously. "Bye."

Brittany hung up without replying and shook her head. Santana was her past. Trying to rekindle anything with her would just be a bad idea, especially since she was leaving for LA in a few days. She wouldn't go through that whole drama again.

She had to leave Santana behind. It wasn't worth the heartache.

* * *

"Ok,_ mija_, it's time we discussed your future. Both of yours," Emilio said, polishing off the last of his wine.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "We're doing fine. I just got a raise at work and my boss is trusting me with a lot more."

"Santana, we worked hard to give you everything you needed and wanted and yes, we spoiled you, but we want our granddaughter to have anything she wants."

"Daddy, I know that," Santana said wistfully. "And I appreciate that I always had what I wanted. I just can't afford to do the same for Bella, as much as I wish I could."

Emilio and Maribel looked at each other and Santana frowned. "Ok, what's going on? What are you guys conspiring now?"

"Santana, have you thought anymore about going back to school?" Emilio asked.

Santana blinked in surprise. "No," she replied. "It was never an option for me. Besides the crazy hours, I couldn't afford it by myself and still take care of Bella."

"What if we pay for your studies again and give you an allowance?" Emilio suggested.

Santana frowned. "This feels like I'm in high school again. An allowance?"

"Well, more like a monthly contribution to our girls' well being," Maribel explained. "We want you to be able to live a life where you're doing what you want to. I know that you enjoy your job, but is it something you could see yourself doing for the rest of your life? Law was that for you once upon a time."

Santana sighed. "This is a little overwhelming. Um…" She looked over at her daughter who had passed out in her chair. "I don't know. I mean, I don't know if I want to study law anymore. I don't even know if I want to study at all. I haven't thought about it since I left."

"I understand," Emilio said. "I know you want to maintain your independence and I respect that. I just want you to know that it doesn't have to be a struggle. We _want_ to help. And before you argue, it won't be forever. As soon as you've finished studying, if that's what you want to do, then we will step back financially and you can take it from there."

"Are you serious?" Santana whispered. "Why?"

"Why?" Maribel laughed. "Because we love you! And because we need to support you now. We made a mistake and this is our way of trying to make up for it."

"But I don't expect you to make up for it," Santana replied. "I have you guys back in my life – what more could I want?"

"Better health benefits?" Emilio said firmly. Santana arched an eyebrow. "To be able to take your daughter to museums and parks and carnivals and buy her clothes and toys?"

"Of course I want that, Papi," Santana said, frowning. She felt like she was losing control again and she didn't like it. Not when it came to her daughter.

"Santana, we are not trying to take over your role as mother, provider and caregiver," Maribel said softly, seeing the look on her daughter's face. "We would never take that away from you. All we want is to help you fulfil those roles to the best of your ability."

"I need to think about this," Santana said almost to herself. She looked at her parents. "Can I…get back to you?"

"Of course, _mija_," Emilio said with a smile.

"Ok," Santana breathed, her mind mulling over her parents' offer.

"How about we call it a night, girls?" Emilio suggested. "Bella is already tuckered out and I know you'll want to think about things. Plus, I'm stuffed."

That elicited a giggle from Santana. How did she go from having no parents and no one to love her to this? She felt like the luckiest person in the world. Of course, if a certain blonde happened to walk past the restaurant as she walked out, that wouldn't be so bad either.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh my word! I've got a permanent grin on my face from all the reviews and alerts :) You guys are awesome :) Looks like we have a little Team Santana vs Team Brittany going on :)**

**Had our first glimpse of Brittany…more to come :)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 9**

**_Five years later…_**

Brittany groaned as she collapsed onto her couch, her bags still hanging on her arms.

Sara giggled. "You look like a human baggage carrier."

"I feel like one," Brittany replied. "What time is it?"

"It's just gone three."

"I'm gonna crash. Wake me up at like eight? I wanna go out. I need to remind myself what it's like to be home for good."

Sara nodded and smiled. Brittany dragged herself to the bedroom she hardly spent time in and closed the door, just falling on the bed. After three years of constantly being on the road with various artists and productions, it felt really good to be home.

* * *

"What about this one?" Bella asked.

Santana peered out from inside her closet and squinted. "Baby, that dress is about three sizes too small for you. I know it's your favourite, but unfortunately you won't be able to fit into it anymore."

The look on her daughter's face almost broke Santana's heart and she scooped her up, sitting on the bed.

"Tell you what. We'll make a deal." Bella's eyes brightened. "You can take this to Kurt and see if he can maybe help you come up with a _new_ dress using some of this material. If he can't then we'll go shopping tomorrow for a new dress."

"I like that plan," Bella agreed. She gave Santana her puppy dog look and Santana frowned.

"What do you want?" she said warily.

"If I get a new dress, then I need new shoes."

Santana laughed. It was remarkable how much Bella was like her. She knew exactly how to manipulate a situation to her advantage, a feat Santana had accomplished when she was around Bella's age too.

"What's funny?" Bella demanded.

"You are," Santana replied, running he finger across Bella's forehead. "You're like a mini-me."

"Duh, Mommy. You had me," Bella said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Santana chuckled. "We can discuss the shoes. I think you may have to give something back for those."

"Like what?" Bella asked carefully.

"Like…you're on bed duty for three days."

"Three days?" Bella whined. "Mommy, that's not fair."

"How is that not fair?" Santana queried. "One shoe per day of bed duty."

"But it's my _birthday_," Bella replied as if it was the answer to everything.

"You're still going to need to walk, aren't you?" Santana quipped.

Bella huffed, sliding off her mother's lap. "You suck."

"Oh, do I?" Santana replied slyly. "Well, I guess if I suck so much then I should call Miggie's and cancel."

Bella whirled around. "No!"

Santana looked Bella in the eye and raised an eyebrow. No words needed to be spoken between the two. Their unspoken relationship was the envy of everyone in the household.

"You don't suck, Mommy. You're the awesomest mommy ever and I'm sorry that I was rude," Bella recited as if reading off a page.

"Geez, way to sound like you mean it, baby girl," Santana gasped, feigning hurt.

Bella sighed. "Sorry, Mama," she mumbled.

Santana peeked at her daughter's disposition. She looked upset. Despite their playful relationship, Bella hated hurting her mother's feelings.

"Come here," Santana said, opening her arms again. She slid off the bed onto the floor and her daughter curled into her lap. "You know that no matter what happens after this weekend that I'm still going to be your mom and you'll always be my number one."

"I know," Bella said softly. "I like how things are now, though. I don't want things to be different. What if I don't like it?"

"Hey, what if I don't like it either?" Santana countered. "Bella, life is all about change. And I know that everything's being dumped on us in a short space of time, but if anyone can do it, we can. We're Lopez's after all."

"Yeah," Bella said, her voice regaining its usual confidence. "We are. Show us what you got."

"That's my girl," Santana said softly, squeezing her arms around her daughter.

"Mama, Abuela and Abuelo won't stop coming to see us just because you're finishing school, right?"

"Baby, are you kidding?" Santana scoffed. "Besides the fact that they'd miss their awesome daughter too much, they want to see you grow up and take over the world. They're always going to be a part of our lives, even when we don't want them around cos they're old and smell funny."

Bella giggled and Santana thought that it was the most wonderful sound in the world.

"You guys ready?" Rachel asked, poking her head through the door. "It's almost four."

"Shit!" Santana exclaimed, getting a smart slap on the shoulder from her daughter, complete with disdainful glare. "Sorry, baby girl," she apologised. "I'll give you a dollar when we get to Miggie's, ok?"

"Fine," Bella conceded, climbing out of Santana's lap.

The elder Latina pushed herself up off the floor and grabbed jackets for her and her daughter.

"Ok, let's go see the grandparents!"

* * *

"Santanita!" Emilio exclaimed as he spotted them walk through the door of Miggie's, Bella's favourite restaurant.

"_Hola_, Papi," Santana replied, kissing her father on the cheek. "_Donde esta Mami_?" she asked.

"Bathroom," Emilio replied, rolling his eyes. "She needed to check her make up."

Santana chuckled and helped Bella out of her coat before shrugging out of her own.

"_Mija_, where's Bella?" Emilio asked with a straight face. "I want to hug my little granddaughter."

"I'm right here," Bella giggled, waving her hand in front of Emilio's face.

"Surely not?" Emilio said disbelief. "The Bella I remember wasn't such a grown up girl!"

"Well, I'm six now," Bella replied sternly. "I'm halfway to a grown up."

Santana snorted in laughter and pretended to be looking through her phone when Bella turned to glare at her.

"I guess almost grown up girls should get almost grown up presents, then," Emilio said, smiling at his granddaughter.

Bella clapped her hands in delight. She loved being spoilt and she definitely was not left wanting in that department when it came to her grandparents. And boy did she know it.

"We should wait for your Abuela," Emilio said in a low voice. "She'd be mad if I gave you your presents without her."

Bella pouted and Santana rolled her eyes.

"_Mija_, sit down and decide what you want to eat so long," she said in Spanish.

Santana had been adamant that Bella be bilingual, the same as her. Her Spanish wasn't as fluent as Santana's because she only ever spoke it with her mother, which hadn't been very often of late due to her finals.

Santana, to the surprise of everyone, even herself, had decided to make a move into education. She wanted to be an English teacher. After much deliberation, most of which was done in raised tones, Santana had managed to get her father to agree to her keeping her job and taking night classes to get her degree. That way she still had her own independence but her parents could help out.

Now, five years later, she had passed her final exam and was about to get her diploma.

"Abuela!" Bella said happily, smiling as Maribel hurried towards their table.

Maribel kissed her daughter and granddaughter on the forehead and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I got distracted."

"You were showing everyone the pictures again, weren't you?" Santana accused good-naturedly.

Maribel blushed. "I'm a proud grandmother. What do you expect?"

Santana and Emilio chuckled.

"Ok, she's here. Can I open my present now?' Bella asked eagerly.

"Patience, _mija_," Santana warned in Spanish.

"Oh, let her be excited," Emilio said. "It's not everyday that your only granddaughter turns six."

"Halfway to adulthood," Santana reminded him.

Maribel frowned in confusion and Santana waved it off, smiling. She sat back and observed her daughter ripping the paper off her presents and squealing at every single one. Santana had to admit that her parents had a great eye when it came to gift giving. She remembered always getting awesome gifts as a kid.

They ordered their food and ate, the buzz of conversation never stopping. Santana hadn't seen her parents since she'd gone back to Lima to visit them for Christmas, which had been four months before, so they had a lot to catch up on.

Santana and Maribel argued over who was going to pay, but Emilio took care of it without either of them seeing. He gave Bella a wink and she giggled, crossing her lips with her finger.

"Ok, let's bounce," Santana said, finally beating her mother down. She looked on the table for the bill. "Where's the…? _Papi_!"

"Relax, Santanita," Emilio chuckled. "You have this argument every time we come down here. You should know by now that it's pointless to argue."

"He's right, Mommy," Bella agreed.

"What is this, gang up on Santana day?" Santana joked, smiling and holding up her hands in surrender.

"Nope. It's my birthday," Bella reminded her sternly.

"So it is," Maribel said, glancing at her husband. "And you got your presents, but now it's time for Santana's present."

"My…what?" Santana asked in bewilderment. "My birthday isn't till August. You gave me my birthday present at Christmas, Mami."

"This is your graduation present," Emilio said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box.

"But…" Words failed Santana.

"Why can't she say anything?" Bella whispered loudly to Maribel. "That never happens."

Maribel chuckled. "Sometimes, when she's surprised out of the blue, she doesn't know what to say."

"Oh," Bella said, nodding in understanding. Her mother always had an answer for everything. Seeing her speechless was…interesting. "Open the box, Mommy," she urged.

"Right," Santana said, snapping out of her disbelief. "Um…" She looked up at her parents. "You guys have done so much already. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you. And you really didn't have to do this." She picked up the box and it jingled.

Bella's eyes widened. She loved mysteries. Santana smiled at her daughter's reaction and slid the box to her. "You're the birthday girl. You're the only one who should be opening presents today."

"But it's for you," Bella insisted.

"I'm handing over my present opening to you."

"Awesome,' Bella grinned, pulling at the ribbon.

Santana leaned closer, curious to see what could be inside. Bella opened the box and looked up at her mother in confusion. Santana's eyes widened as she pulled out a set of keys.

"You didn't," she stuttered, looking at her parents in disbelief. "What? Why? How? When?"

Maribel laughed. "New York is a big city, _mija_. It's quite easy for us to go apartment hunting unnoticed."

"I'm…I'm blown away," Santana breathed. "You got us an apartment."

"A new apartment?" Bella piped up. "So we won't live with Kurt and Rachel and Finn anymore?" She stuck her bottom lip out in protest and frowned.

"Well, your Abuelo and I know how much you love staying with them so your new apartment is only a few blocks away from them," Maribel said quickly.

"So they can come and see us whenever they want?" Bella asked hopefully, looking up at her mom who was still pretty shocked. She nudged her and Santana blinked.

"Yeah, of course they can, baby girl. Anytime. Mami, Papi. I…I love you so much. _Thank you_. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"It is our pleasure," Emilio said happily. "My two little girls are taken care of and that's all I care about."

"We have one more thing…" Maribel said mysteriously. "Isabella, I know that it's your birthday today, but we haven't seen your mama in such a long time that we wanted to give her something too."

"But you just did," Santana cut in, holding the keys up. "A whole frigging apartment!"

"Mama," Bella said sternly, slapping her arm again. "That's two times you owe me."

"Twice, baby," Santana corrected automatically, "and you can grab the money out of my purse." She turned her attention back to her parents. "What are you guys up to? You're not moving down here, are you?"

Emilio laughed. "God no. I could never handle working in this city. I'm happy in our small town. Look at the bottom of the box."

Santana hadn't even looked further than the keys. She pulled a business card and frowned at the name.

"Griffin Hill Academy," she read. She looked up. "Papi, this is a very upper class private school. Are you planning on sending Bella there?"

"Well, that would be your decision, _mija_," Maribel replied, a huge grin taking over her face. "After all, you'll be working there."

"What?" Santana said in a loud voice, causing the people at the tables around them to look over in alarm. "Are you kidding me?" she said in a lower voice. She trained her eyes on her father and pointed at him with the card in her fingers. "I know you had something to do with this."

"Santanita, don't look at this as me using my connections to get you a job that you would've walked into with your eyes closed and one arm tied behind your back. Plus, I like breathing and you would have killed me had I done that."

"I'm confused," Santana stated, furrowing her brow.

"I got you an interview," Emilio replied. "I may have praised you a little, but Principal Henry DeCosta is expecting you on Friday morning at ten for an interview."

Santana blinked. Ok, could this day get any more surreal?

"Pinch me, baby," Santana muttered. Bella obliged. "Ow! Thank you."

"Did you think you were dreaming?" Bella queried.

"I really did," Santana murmured.

Her parents chuckled. "Enough thank you's now," Emilio said seriously. "Your mother and I would like to ask you something."

"Anything," Santana breathed. "Seriously, after this you can have anything."

Maribel laughed. "You've worked non stop for virtually five years and it's time you had a break. So, I spoke with Kurt and Rachel and they are taking you out tonight and Bella will come and spend the night with us."

Bella squealed in delight. "Oh, please, can I, Mommy? Please, please, please?"

"Doesn't sound like I have much of an option," Santana smirked, running a finger across Bella's forehead. "Of course you can, baby girl."

"Yes!" Bella said, doing a fist pump. "Are we going to a hotel?"

"We are, but I was thinking we could go and walk around Central Park first? I've always wanted to do that," Maribel suggested.

"Mommy and I do that every weekend," Bella said. "We have loads of fun."

Santana smiled. Everything in her life was absolutely perfect.

* * *

"You're kidding, right?"

Santana looked at Rachel incredulously.

"What?" Rachel asked innocently. "I may not own a dress that goes higher than four inches above my knee, but I know that _this_," she indicated the dress in her hand, "is very much your style."

"Well, yeah," Santana mused, fingering the green material. "But come on, Rachel. I haven't worn a dress like that in years!"

"Oh, please, don't be ridiculous," Kurt said, sounding bored from his spot on Santana's bed. "Put on the damn dress, slip into those killer heels of yours and let's get going. The New York night life waits for no one."

"Well, it's about to," Santana said seductively, winking at Rachel as she grabbed the dress and disappeared into the bathroom.

Ten minutes she opened the door and did a quick runway walk for Kurt and Rachel, swinging her hips and pouting her lips. She knew she looked hot. She didn't even have to look at her friends' expressions.

"Santana, I love you like a sister, and forgive me what I'm about to say, but if I were _any_ way interested in girls, I may turn straight for you," Kurt said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"Aw, Kurtie, that's about the sweetest thing that you've ever said to me," Santana cooed. "In a really weird, uncomfortably sexual kind of way," she added with a frown.

"Ok, Santana's ready. I'm ready. Kurt's ready. All we need is FINN!" Rachel yelled for her husband.

"I'm ready,' Finn replied, appearing in the doorway.

His jaw dropped when he saw Santana and she smirked.

"Eyes up, Finnocence," she teased. "I'm pretty sure Berry looks just as smokin'. Well, maybe not _as_ smokin'." She laughed.

"I think we may have reawakened the monster," Kurt stage-whispered to Rachel.

"Oh, shut up," Santana teased. "I'm not drinking tonight. The last time I went out and drank, Bella happened. This time, I'm just going out to dance and have a good time."

"I support your sober habits, Santana, but we're going to be there the whole time keeping an eye on you. Finn is designated driver so feel free to have a few drinks. You don't need to go overboard, but I think you'll have more fun with a few in you," Kurt suggested.

"You're just saying that so that we can drink together and I won't make fun of drunk Berry," Santana teased Rachel.

"No one's getting drunk if we don't get going," Finn pointed out.

"Watch out, New York! Santana Lopez is coming your way!" Santana declared dramatically, getting a joint giggle from Kurt and Rachel.

* * *

"Britt, where you headed tonight?" Sara asked, putting the final touches on her make up.

"I'm not sure," Brittany replied, pulling a top down over her head and admiring the result in her mirror. "Luke told me about this new place on 7th that's supposed to be pretty awesome."

"How about I join you there after my shift?" Sara purred, slipping her arms around Brittany's waist.

Brittany frowned. "Sara, we've spoken about this. I don't want a relationship with you. The sex is fun and all, but I've just come back home and I need to find my feet."

Sara huffed and stepped away from the blonde. "So it's fine for you to fuck me every time you come back into the city, but I'm not good enough to be in a relationship with? That's fucked up, Brittany. We've been doing this dance for over six years."

Brittany sighed. "I know. That's how it is, though. And don't pretend you didn't know my views on the matter from the beginning because you did. I made myself very clear. No strings attached. Just sex."

Sara sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll take what I can get, I guess. Let me know if you're still at the club and we can hook up after I finish work?"

Brittany nodded and pulled on her tight jeans.

"You look hot, Britt," Sara said approvingly. "Don't run off with some dark-haired hottie before I get there, ok?" she teased.

Brittany's lips lifted, but it wasn't a smile. It was more like a grimace.

_No_.

She wasn't going down that road tonight. She was going to meet her dancer friends that she hadn't seen in months and she was going to have an awesome time. And if Sara was interesting enough and she hadn't found anyone else to fill the void by the end of the night, then some good sex might keep her mind far away from any dark-haired hotties. Or just one dark-haired hottie.

* * *

Santana roared with laughter as Rachel dribbled half the shot of tequila down her neck and onto her chest. She clutched Kurt as they pissed themselves laughing.

"It's not funny!" Rachel whined, gripping Finn's arm. "Baby, they're being mean."

"It's because they're tipsy," Finn soothed Rachel. "I still think you're amazing."

"Oh, God, get a room," Santana yelled. "Come on, Kurt. We're dancing."

Kurt allowed himself to be pulled onto the dance floor and swallowed up by the crowd. They danced together for a few songs, Santana getting more than a few offers to dance, but declining all of them. Kurt pulled her close.

"Why don't you dance with somebody?" he asked in her ear.

Santana froze involuntarily. She couldn't help it. Her body automatically reacted that way when a certain blonde popped into her memory. She remembered them dancing together on stage with confetti raining down around them.

_I wanna dance with somebody, with somebody who loves me._

"I'm here with you guys,' Santana replied, her voice a lot weaker than she wanted it to be. "I…I don't want to be around anyone else."

Kurt nodded, pretending to understand and he and Santana continued to dance. Santana wasn't feeling the vibe very much any more though and motioned that she was going to get a drink. She reached the table that Rachel and Finn were keeping occupied and downed the two remaining tequila shots on the table.

"Everything ok?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded. "I'm just thirsty."

Rachel chuckled and shook her head. "You feeling alright, though?"

Santana made a circle with her thumb and index finger and smiled, the tequila making its effect felt. She felt a strange sensation next to her breast and reached into her bra. It was then that she remembered she stored her phone there.

"It's my mother," Santana said with a frown. "I'm gonna take it outside."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Kurt asked.

Santana shook her head and pushed her way to the exit, answering the phone and telling her mother to hold on.

* * *

Brittany spun around and stopped mid spin, her gaze locking on a very familiar set of legs. Her eyes travelled upwards and she took a sharp breath in at the short green dress that hugged the very sexy ass of one Santana Lopez. She looked gorgeous, not that Brittany was surprised. She was pretty sure that it was physically impossible for Santana to look anything but drop dead beautiful. She watched as the Latina pulled her phone out from her usual spot in her bra and pushed her way to the entrance.

Without thinking, Brittany followed her, ignoring the calls of her friends. She reached the door and looked around, looking for any sign of Santana. She heard a familiar laugh that set her heart beating a million miles a minute. Santana was leaning against the corner of the building, laughing into the phone.

Brittany inched closer, half hoping that Santana would turn around, but the other half screaming for her to stay facing away.

Santana was saying something in Spanish and it made Brittany's knees feel a little weak. Santana speaking Spanish was possibly the sexiest sound in the world. The way the words just rolled of her tongue, especially when they were-

"Hey, baby."

It was soft and tender and the words made Brittany freeze.

"You getting ready for bed?" Santana asked into the phone and Brittany could hear her smile. "I know, baby. I miss you too. But you'll be home tomorrow and then we can stay up _all_ night."

Brittany's throat constricted. How could she have been so stupid? Of _course_ Santana had someone. Besides the fact that it had been almost seven years, had Brittany honestly been naïve enough to think that someone as beautiful and smart as Santana Lopez would stay single for long?

"I love you, Bella," Santana said yenderly. "Sweet dreams, baby."

Brittany's eyes widened as Santana started to turn. She spun around and ducked back into the club in record time. She wove her way back to her friends, trying to shake the heart sore feeling in her chest.

* * *

"Did you just see what I saw?" Kurt asked Rachel in a low voice, his eyes following a familiar head of blonde hair.

"I did," Rachel said stonily.

"Things could get very difficult if she's back for good," Kurt mused. "Santana can't know."

Rachel nodded, her eyes not leaving the clearly shaken blonde on the dance floor.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm really sorry about the lack of updates yesterday. I'm still kinda in shock over the finale…Um…ja.**

**So Britt is now back in the picture and I guess we'll see how things progress, especially since Britt thinks that Santana is in a relationship…**

**Much love for the reviews – keep 'em coming! :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee – if I did I would hunt down Ryan Murphy and demand answers!**

**CHAPTER 10**

It was fall and Santana was walking Bella to her first day of school. It was also _her_ first day of school – her interview with Griffin Hill Academy had gone very well and she was the new English Lit teacher at the prestigious private school.

"Mommy, your hands are all sweaty," Bella complained, jerking her hand out of her mother's and wiping it on her jacket with a grimace.

"Sorry, baby," Santana chuckled. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"It's just school, Mom," Bella stated, raising her eyebrows.

Santana looked down at her daughter, taking a moment to truly appreciate how alike they were. At least she'd know what to expect when Bella hit her teens. Major rebellion.

"I've never taught before, though," Santana admitted, threading her fingers together.

She and Bella had a complete open door policy. No matter what was going on, they talked about it. Santana had a similar relationship with her mother and she cherished how close they'd become as a result.

"You'll do great, Mama," Bella said confidently, her smile washing away Santana's nerves. She loved how her daughter called her Mama when she wanted to show affection. Normally it was Mommy or Mom when she was trying to act older than her six years.

"You think?" Santana asked.

"Of course," Bella replied firmly. "You love reading and you enjoy teaching. Plus, you've taught me loads."

Santana chuckled. "I think that's in my job description, baby girl. But thank you. Your support means the world to me."

Santana knelt down and hugged Bella tightly. When she moved to release her, Bella held on a little tighter and Santana smiled.

"I guess you can be my little girl for the next few blocks," Santana teased, picking her daughter up.

Bella just smiled and rested her head on Santana's shoulder. They continued their walk through the crisp New York fall morning, Santana's arms securely wrapped around her daughter.

* * *

Brittany squinted at the light infiltrating the room and she pulled the pillow over her head, groaning.

"Some of us need to work today, Britt," Sara said matter-of-factly. "Come on, Jerry's expecting you at the studio in an hour."

"I'm still sick," Brittany mumbled.

"Oh, really? Not sick enough to nail me three times last night."

Brittany smirked to herself from underneath the pillow. That had been quite hot. Sara had just come back from her session at her own studio and Brittany couldn't resist.

"Come on, get your lazy ass up," Sara said, slapping said behind and eliciting a squeal from Brittany.

The blonde dancer sighed dramatically and pushed back the sheets of her bed, getting up and walking to bathroom buck-naked. She smirked when the bathroom door opened and closed behind her and Sara assaulted her mouth. Nothing like a pick me up in the morning.

* * *

Santana looked around her classroom and smiled. This wasn't quite the feeling she'd been expecting; she'd been so worried that she would feel completely out of her depth and like an alien. But here she was, standing in the room and she felt at peace, like she belonged there.

The faculty had been incredibly welcoming and friendly. Principal DeCosta had taken her on a tour of the vast grounds of the school – seriously, how did these people find this kind of property in New York? Everything and everyone was rapidly torpedoing her judgement of private schools and their snobbery.

"Ms. Lopez!"

Santana looked up and smiled at Principal DeCosta.

"How was your first day?" he asked pleasantly.

"Great," Santana replied enthusiastically. "I can tell I'm really going to enjoy it here."

"Well, as I said in April, we are incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon you."

Santana laughed. "Nice try, but we both know the reason I got my interview."

"Maybe so," DeCosta conceded, chuckling, "but you got the job based on your skills and passion. I could tell then that you were going to be a fantastic addition to this school and faculty."

Santana blushed. "Thank you, Mr. DeCosta. That means a lot."

DeCosta waved a hand to brush away the praise. "Please, call me DC. Everyone does."

Santana smiled and nodded. Her phone buzzed and her eyes widened at the time.

"Crap!" she exclaimed, then winced when she remembered whose company she was in. "Um, sorry."

DC chuckled again. "Late for something?"

"Uh, yeah. It's my daughter's first day of school too. I told her I'd fetch her."

"Best you be off then," DC said, standing aside. "See you tomorrow, Ms. Lopez."

"Thank you!" Santana rushed, grabbing her bag and half running out of the door. "Have a good afternoon, DC!"

Santana raced out the gates, waving and smiling at all the students who called out greetings. She jumped into the first cab she could find and gave the address of Bella's school.

Luckily, Bella's school was within a safe walking distance from their apartment, although she was forbidden from making the journey unless Santana, Kurt, Rachel or Finn were there to walk with her. Because it was her daughter's first day, Santana had promised that she'd be there and she never broke her promises, especially to Bella. Most days, because of the distance between Bella's school and her own, Kurt, Rachel or Finn would pick her up and take her to their apartment until Santana was done at her school. That was probably the only downside of Santana's new job – the extracurricular activities were big and all faculty members were expected to take part in some way or another.

Which made this promise even more important – Santana didn't know when next she'd get the chance to pick her daughter up from school. The cabbie screeched to a halt and Santana frowned at his tactics when they were outside an elementary school. She handed him some money and quickly exited the car. She smiled when she saw that the kids had only just come out. She leaned next to the tree she'd told Bella she'd wait for her by and let her eyes scan the crowd of kids running out to meet their parents.

A familiar head of long jet black hair caused Santana's smile to increase ten-fold as Bella bounded up to her excitedly.

"Mommy!" she squealed happily, jumping into Santana's waiting arms.

"Hey, baby girl," Santana greeted, squeezing Bella tightly. She set her down and took her hand. "Did you have a good first day?"

That was all the introduction that Bella needed to launch into a detailed account of her day. Santana just smiled and listened dutifully to her daughter's opinions about the teacher and other kids and cafeteria menu.

Sure, her life may not be what she'd planned, but she wouldn't change this feeling for the world.

* * *

Brittany redid her hair into a messy bun and squinted at herself in the massive mirror. She looked a mess. She'd had a full ten-hour day of classes and was exhausted. Brittany was the type of teacher who led by example, which meant that she danced pretty much non-stop all day. And Brittany danced with her whole body. Granted, she was in peak physical shape – her stint on _Dancing With The Stars_ had really toned her up with all the different dances they'd done, and Justin Timberlake's world tour had kept her in perfect condition.

If Brittany had to be truly honest, though, she was more exhausted because she was struggling to sleep. If the lack of sleep was a result of long stints of nakedness with Sara then she'd be ok, but the lack of sleeping had more to do with her mind than her body. Her mind just couldn't seem to let go of seeing and hearing Santana. It had been months ago, but Brittany couldn't seem to forget it. Or maybe her head wasn't letting her forget it. Or maybe it was her heart.

She frowned at her reflection. Sex with Sara tired her out enough to catch a few hours of sleep before Santana popped into her head and she was wide awake.

Oddly, Brittany thought that it was because she was having sex with Sara that was weighing on her guilty conscience or something and that's why she was having trouble sleeping. So she'd tried _not_ having sex with Sara, but that had only ended up making things worse. She couldn't sleep _and_ she was horny as hell. Not the best combination when she couldn't get Santana off her mind. Admittedly, there had been a few occasions where Brittany's hand had wandered into her pants with Santana's name on the tip of her tongue.

But Sara was starting to get clingy and living with her was becoming tedious. Brittany had gotten used to living on her own whilst on tour and on set. During her brief stopovers in New York, staying with Sara hadn't been an issue because it had only been for a few days at a time. She'd been staying there since she'd got back in April and she was itching for her own space.

Unfortunately, Sara was a very sensitive person…well, when she wasn't naked pushing Britt up against a wall. Brittany was scared that if she told her fellow dancer that she wanted to move out that she'd started crying or something ridiculous. She didn't do well with hysterics. She never knew what to do. She'd only ever been able to deal with one hysterical woman and she was pretty sure _that_ wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.

Brittany sighed and rolled her eyes at her expression as she mulled through the thoughts running around in her head. Santana was happy. She heard it in her voice. And if she'd been able to see her face, she was pretty sure she would've seen that spark of love that the Latina had when she'd looked at her once upon almost a decade ago.

She should just forget about her, about wanting to see her again or wanting to touch her again or…

"Stop it!" Brittany yelled at her reflection.

She immediately jumped away from the mirror and picked up the remote she'd discarded before her thoughts had taken over and pushed play. A strong up tempo beat pulsated throughout the studio and Brittany let herself get swept up in the music. She let it wash over her, pushing away thoughts of moving out, of Sara and especially of Santana.

* * *

A few days later, Brittany was making a smoothie in the kitchen and Sara walked in.

"Hey," Brittany greeted.

"Oh!" Sara sounded surprised. "I didn't think you'd be here."

Brittany looked at her in confusion. "I live here. And it's a Sunday."

"Of course," Sara said, putting on a big smile. "Um, how was your day?"

Brittany looked at the clock on the oven. "It's ten in the morning. I got up like an hour ago."

"Right," Sara said, starting to look uncomfortable.

"Ok, now you're starting to look like someone who forgot to lock the back gate and the big black goat of Christmas Past came in and ate all the rabbits."

"Um." Sara looked at her blankly.

"What's going on, Sara?"

Sara took a deep breath. "I've met someone."

"Ok."

Sara frowned at Brittany's casual response.

"Just 'ok'?"

Brittany shrugged. "Um, I'm happy for you? I don't know what you want me to say, Sara. It's cool."

"You are something else," Sara muttered.

"I'm human," Brittany deadpanned. "Even though that one time aliens abducted me, they didn't take away any of my human parts, they just-"

"_Brittany_!"

The blonde dancer halted in her ramblings and looked at her friend in surprise.

"God, I don't understand you!" Sara said in exasperation. "Whatever fucked up relationship we have is just…it needs to stop. You're always in my head and I can't fucking focus anymore."

Brittany's brow furrowed in a telltale sign that she was completely lost. Normally she had a pretty good read on Sara, but now she was truly confused. Had she done something wrong?

"Sara, I don't-"

"Just shut up," Sara snapped. "You came back from JT's tour and things were great. Then all of a sudden you dry up on me and two months later we're back to being fuck buddies."

"I didn't think that was a problem," Brittany said cautiously. "It's how we've always been."

"Well, did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted more?" Sara asked, her voice dropping an octave.

"Yes," Brittany replied. Sara's eyebrows shot up. So many people didn't understand the blonde's penchant for complete honesty.

"Didn't you?"

"No," Brittany replied. "You knew straight from the start, Sara. We've been over this so many times. You're a great friend and I love you and we have a great relationship, but-"

"You're not in love with me," Sara finished bitterly.

"No," Brittany replied softly.

Sara sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I don't think you can love anyone other than her."

Brittany didn't say anything, purely because she'd just be confirming what Sara said. In fact, by saying nothing she achieved the same outcome.

"I think maybe you need to find another place to live," Sara said in a very calm and rational tone. She didn't want to be mean.

"I already have,"

Sara blinked. "Y-You have? Were you planning on mentioning this at some point?"

"I was trying to find the right time," Brittany explained. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"I…I guess that doesn't really matter now," Sara said with a sense of finality. "Maybe it would be best if we both just moved on. Seven years of friendship plus whatever else was great, but I don't want that anymore."

With a shocking sense of clarity, Brittany realised that she didn't want that either.

* * *

"Mommy, hurry up!" Bella called impatiently. "We're going to be late!"

"Ok, ok, I'm here," Santana said, rushing out of her room. "And we won't be late. They can't start the show without the star." She winked at her daughter who rolled her eyes in a very Santana-like fashion.

"Whatever, Mom."

"Hey, check that attitude, young lady. That's not how I raised you," Santana said firmly. She didn't often have to play disciplinarian, but Bella was her daughter and had most definitely inherited that cockiness that had made Santana so popular in high school.

Bella dropped her gaze in apology. "I wanna go now, though. I love Glee night."

Santana smiled and opened the front door, allowing her daughter to race into the hall and push the button for the elevator. She locked the door behind her and chuckled at her daughter's impatience with the lift.

Glee night was something contrived by none other than Rachel Berry. Duh. When Bella had been old enough to understand, she'd been curious about her mom and her friends and how they'd met. Thus came out the story of Glee Club. Bella thought that Glee was the coolest thing on earth and had demanded performances from everyone then and there.

No one had complained and since then, at Rachel's suggestion, Santana and Bella met up with Kurt, Rachel and Finn once a month and had a karaoke night. Santana had to admit that she enjoyed it; she'd always enjoyed singing and seeing the way her daughter's face light up whenever she took to the mic was reason enough to continue to do it.

This month was Rachel and Finn's turn to host. Blaine had finally made his way to New York and although his relationship with Kurt had been on and off for the last few years, they were currently very much on and living together a few blocks from Rachel and Finn.

Santana loved how close they all were, both literally and figuratively. She treasured her New York family more than anything in the world and nights like this just reminded everyone of how far they'd truly come.

Rachel was a sensation on Broadway, as if there had ever been any doubt. Finn's whole acting gig hadn't worked out like he'd planned, but he'd scored a job in a sports agency and was a PA to one of the biggest sports agents in New York. Kurt had his own fashion line and was slowly starting to have his name mentioned in circles in Paris and Milan. He'd tried Broadway for a year, but the allure of New York fashion had swayed him more than he'd expected.

The lift opened and shook Santana from her trip down memory lane. She smiled as Bella started humming _Don't Stop Believin'_.

* * *

Brittany's earphones were blaring loud music as she entered the lobby of her new apartment block. She'd moved in that week and had already made friends with the doorman, the maintenance guy and the delivery guy. She was pretty sure that the delivery guy had demanded to deliver anything to that building in the hopes of seeing her because it was a scary coincidence how many times she saw him.

Her new apartment was pretty cool. It was big and airy with a lot of space, which was fine with Brittany because she didn't like a lot of furniture anyway. She'd met a few of her neighbours who'd come across as relatively normal. No secret cults or anything like that.

Brittany waved at Noddy, the doorman and smiled. She was pretty sure his name was Oliver or something, but he was always nodding at people and his nose was red _all the time_.

Noddy nodded (duh) at the blonde dancer as she pushed the button for the lift and waited, tapping her foot to the loud music.

* * *

"Baby, no matter how many times you push the button, it's not gonna go any faster," Santana chided.

"It's taking for_ever_," Bella said dramatically.

Santana laughed as the lifts opened.

* * *

Brittany glanced up at the lights. Both lifts were coming down at the same time. She stood to the left. For some strange reason – she couldn't even remember why – she always took the lift on the left. Something about escalators going up on the left and down on the right, which meant the same had to happen with elevators. Brittany shrugged to herself and switched the song playing.

The left lift opened and she stepped into the empty compartment. The other elevator opened as she stepped in, but she ignored it. Left went up.

* * *

Santana stepped out of the lift and paused, frowning. There was a strange scent in the air that for some reason made her think of Brittany. Her train of thought was broken by her daughter grabbing her hand and pulling her to the door.

"Have a good evening, Oliver!" she called to the doorman as Bella tried to dislocate her shoulder.

"You too, Ms. Lopez," Oliver replied, nodding.

"Bye, Noddy!" Bella shouted as they exited the building.

Santana laughed heartily and Oliver just smiled.

* * *

Brittany put a hand out and stopped the elevator door from closing as a laugh permeated the loud music in her ears. She took out her earphones and stepped out of the lift, but the lobby was empty. The door was swinging closed, so whomever it had been had obviously just left. Brittany frowned and stepped back into the elevator. There had been something very familiar about that laugh…

* * *

**A/N: Please don't hurt me! Suspense is fun…right?**

**Hope this chapter makes up for my non-update yesterday. Reviews are muchly loved :)**

**-H**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: New chapter in quick succession cos I feel SO bad about not posting yesterday :) Don't hate me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 11**

Kurt brushed a piece of imaginary lint off his designer jacket – his own design, of course – and trained his eyes on the entrance of Bella's school. It was his day to pick his favourite adopted niece and he had a day of exploration planned. For someone as young as Bella, she had an amazing eye for what she liked when it came to clothes. The majority of her wardrobe was a result of many an afternoon excursion with Kurt.

Kurt pulled his jacket around him tightly as a chilly breeze swept across the street.

"Kurt?"

He spun around at the familiar voice and pasted a smile on his face.

"Oh my God, Brittany! How are you?"

"Um, I'm doing great," Brittany said, frowning as she took in Kurt's surroundings. She leaned forward and engulfed him in a hug. Kurt reciprocated as little as he could without being so obviously rude. "How are you?"

"Fantastic," Kurt replied. "Um, so you're back?"

Brittany nodded and took a sip from her takeaway coffee. "Yeah, I'm back at my old studio. I've been back for a couple of months now, actually. Um, what have you been up to? Still on Broadway?"

"Oh God, no,' Kurt said, glancing behind him frantically. The last thing he needed was for Bella to come bounding up while he was talking to her mother's ex. "I'm a fashion designer. My label is doing really well."

"That's awesome," Brittany said with a genuine smile. "I always knew my unicorn would do great things."

Kurt couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face. It was just so…Brittany. There was a reason everyone loved her.

_Wait. Focus. She broke Santana's heart. You're supposed to be mad at her. She doesn't seem very upset though. And she hasn't even asked about Santana. Maybe she's a lot colder than we gave her credit for._

"So what are you doing at an elementary school?' Brittany asked and her eyes widened. "Ohmigod, do you have a kid?"

"Uh, no," Kurt said determinedly. "I'm waiting for, uh, for a friend's kid. They had to work so…"

"Ah, that's so awesome. You'd be like the best gay uncle ever."

Kurt fought the smile this time and glanced at the school entrance. Thankfully there was still no sign of mini-Santana.

"Um, Kurt, have you-"

Brittany's question was cut off by her phone and breathed a sigh f relief, having a strong suspicion where Brittany's question was leading.

"Hello? Hi, Jerry. Yeah, I know. Yes. _I know_." Brittany sighed in frustration and waved a hasty goodbye to Kurt as she took off down the road past the entrance to the school. Kurt's eyes widened as he saw Bella descend the steps quickly and dodge Brittany as she chatted on her phone.

_That could not possibly have been any closer_, Kurt thought with relief.

"Hi, Kurt!" Bella said with a big smile as she hugged his waist. "Are we going shopping?"

Kurt smiled. "Definitely. I think you are in dire need of a new winter coat."

"Yes!" Bella cheered, clapping her hands.

Kurt took her hand and walked in the opposite direction that Brittany had disappeared in. If Bella had appeared five seconds earlier, no amount of bullshitting could have masked which friend this little girl belonged to.

* * *

Santana poured her third glass of wine and sighed. It had been a hellish week. She'd endured her first parent-teacher meetings and to say that these private school parents were intense would be the understatement of the century. Every single one wanted Santana to _"personally make sure"_ that their little star did the best in her class.

Santana wanted to tell them that it was actually up to the students and not her, but she figured that kind of sarcastic honesty wouldn't help the situation. She did, however, make it a point to bring it up with the students. Luckily, Santana had a great relationship with her students. Yes, she was young and maybe that counted in her favour because it seemed like she could relate to them easier, but it had come at a price – some of the students had tried to make her life hell by trying to catch her out on her inexperience. Luckily, Santana knew exactly how to deal with obnoxious kids. She doubted that high school Santana would've approved of the poor insults she'd thrown out, but had she fully channelled high school Santana, she'd probably be out of a job. High school students were predictable – once put in their place by a superior being, they gave no more trouble and Santana's students respected that about her.

Santana giggled to herself. She was like the Griffin Hill Academy version of Holly Holliday. Ok, maybe she should hold off on the wine. The wine glasses were _really_ big. One glass was probably equivalent to two normal sized glasses.

"Santana, you're up!" Kurt called from the living room.

She emptied the bottle into her glass and sauntered back to her guests. It was her turn to host Glee night.

"Ok, what song am I singing to show all you losers that I am the _undisputed_ talent in this room?" Santana said with a smirk.

Rachel's mouth dropped open in indignation and Kurt laughed.

"Well, seeing as how Blaine just regaled us with his Sectionals performance of _Hey, Soul Sister_, I think it's only fair that you belt out one of your favourites."

"Oh, I'm all over this one," Santana said, grabbing the bedazzled mic from Rachel's hand.

"What you singing, Mommy?" Bella asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You'll see, baby," Santana winked. "You know it."

Bella clapped her hands and grinned.

* * *

Brittany was sitting on her window ledge looking at her partial view of the city with a glass of wine in her hand. She'd found this activity to be incredibly relaxing after a long week at the studio. Her boss, Jerry, the owner of the studio, had added another advanced class to her schedule, which meant that her days ran two hours longer than normal and she was more exhausted than she had been in a long time. He seemed to be pushing her really hard of late and she couldn't understand if she'd done something to make him feel like she wasn't pulling her weight.

She took a sip and leaned against the wide frame, a gust of wind carrying a familiar tune to her ears. Brittany closed her eyes and smiled, her head moving slightly from side to side as the familiar song was played a few stories below her.

_Wait a second_.

Brittany's eyes flew open and she scrambled to put her wine glass down before she dropped it. She leaned out the window and strained her ears. Surely the universe wouldn't be _that_ twisted?

But sure enough, the notes of one of her favourite songs reached her ears again. It had only become one of her all time favourites when a certain Latina had sung it at Sectionals in their junior year and she'd danced around her.

_Since I've come on home,_

_Well my body's been a mess_

_And I've missed your ginger hair_

_And the way you like to dress_

_Won't you come on over_

_Stop making a fool out of me_

_Why don't you come on over Valerie?_

There was _no_ doubt in Brittany's mind who the owner of the sultry voice belting out _Valerie_ was. That meant one of two things – Santana knew someone who lived in the same building as her or, and Brittany really hoped it was the latter, she actually lived in the same building.

* * *

The small audience applauded loudly as Santana took a bow and handed the mic back to Rachel with a satisfied smirk.

"Mommy, wow," Bella said with wide eyes.

Santana sat down next to her and relaxed into the couch with a smile. "Did you like that, baby?"

"It was so awesome," Bella gushed. "You like the bestest singer ever."

"I may have to challenge you on that, Bella," Rachel said, standing up and tapping Finn on the shoulder.

Santana laughed. "Give it up, Berry. She's biologically bound to like me best."

Rachel grinned, her friendly competition with the Latina as fiery as ever. "We shall see. Finn?"

Rachel and Finn launched into _Faithfully_, admittedly one of Santana's favourite duets that the two had ever done. Bella curled up next to her mother and Santana rested her head on hers.

"Mama?"

"Yeah, baby?"

Bella was quiet. Santana looked down to see a pensive look on her daughter's face.

"Bella, what is it?" Santana asked in worry.

"Rachel and Finn love each other, right?"

Santana smiled. "Of course they do. Very much."

"That's why they sing lots of songs to each other like that?" Bella said, pointing to Rachel and Finn gazing adoringly into each other's eyes as they sang the chorus.

"Yup."

"Were they like that in Glee as well?"

"For the most part," Santana replied. "They fought for a bit so they weren't together then, but they always sang duets together."

"Oh." The pensive look was back.

"Baby girl, you know you gotta tell me what's going on in that head of yours," Santana said softly. "I'm not a mind reader."

She pulled Bella into her lap and wrapped her arms around her daughter's waist. Bella started playing with a strand of Santana's long hair. She just waited patiently as her daughter tried to come up with a way to explain her thoughts.

"Mama?" Bella looked up into Santana's eyes.

"Si, mi amor?"

"Did you have someone to sing songs with like Rachel and Finn?"

Santana froze. Where in the hell had _that_ question come from?

"Uh…um…" She took a deep breath and met her daughter's curious gaze. "I did, baby."

"You did?" Bella asked excitedly. "What happened?"

"Uh, well, we were very much in love, but one day we had a fight and she left and I haven't seen her since."

Bella frowned. "She left? Just like that?"

"Just like that," Kurt echoed, sitting down next to Santana and putting a comforting hand on her arm.

"Didn't she love you?" Bella persisted.

"She did," Santana replied, trying to keep her voice steady and willing the threatening tears away.

"Then why did she leave?"

"She chose to do something without me," Santana said, her voice breaking a little.

"Mama," Bella's voice was soft as she ran a finger across Santana's forehead. "I still love you."

"I know you do, baby girl," Santana said, letting the tears fall down as she grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly. "I love you too, with all my heart."

Kurt met Rachel's eyes and she shook her head subtly, knowing that Kurt was contemplating divulging the reappearance of a certain blonde dancer. Kurt nodded and continued to rub Santana's arm as she cried into her daughter's shoulder.

* * *

Brittany was surprised when everything went quiet after what sounded like Rachel and Finn sang _Faithfully_. She was glad that Santana had stayed friends with them after she left. She wouldn't have had anyone otherwise. For a brief second, Brittany thought back to earlier that day when she'd run into Kurt outside the school. He'd seemed quite uncomfortable, and Brittany supposed she could understand why. He only had Santana's side of the story and who knew what version of the story Santana had actually told.

A part of Brittany had always thought that Santana might even have gone back to Lima to be with her parents after the break up. But the Latina had way too much pride for that. She'd pushed to go to New York, against her parents' initial wishes. Actually, now that Brittany thought about it, Santana had only really pushed to go to New York when she'd received the job offer from Jerry.

Brittany's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth in horror. Oh God, what had she done? All this time, she'd been adamant that Santana had been so selfish, but Santana had made sure that _they_ could go to New York _together_. How could she have forgotten? Why hadn't Santana said anything during their fight? They were throwing accusations around left, right and centre. It would have been the perfect ammunition to use against Brittany.

_Unless she didn't want to hurt you anymore. Unless she'd already given up._

Brittany's eyesight blurred as tears welled up.

"Fuck," she said out loud in a strangled voice. "Santana, I'm so sorry."

Brittany dropped her head onto her knees and cried.

* * *

A few weeks later, Santana was humming to herself as she did the dishes. She and Bella had decided on an early supper in favour of a game of chess. Santana had been surprised at her daughter's aptitude for the game. Not many people had known how much she'd enjoyed it growing up, and frankly, her reputation at high school hadn't needed the extra boost towards loserdom. Glee Club had done that enough.

Ok, she had to admit that joining Glee had been the best thing she'd ever done up to that point in her life. She'd discovered a true passion for music and performing, she'd mustered up the courage to deal with her true feelings about Brittany and her sexuality and she'd won a national title. Pretty sweet deal considering once upon a time she'd thought the Glee kids were the lowest of the low.

"Mom!"

"Bella!" Santana responded in the same whiny voice and smiled.

"Funny," Bella smirked, pulling herself onto a chair in the kitchen. "So, what are the stakes of tonight's game?"

"Hmmm," Santana mused as she dried a pot. "I think that if I win, which I totally will, then you are on bathroom duty for….a week."

"A week?" Bella asked in disbelief. "That's totally unfair."

Santana laughed. She knew that she wouldn't actually win. She seldom did. Most of the time it was because her daughter honest-to-God outsmarted her, but sometimes she did throw the game with a strategically terrible move.

"Ok, what if you win?" Santana asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Bella said pointedly.

Santana chuckled. "Ok, well, think you could give your mother a hand here? The quicker we get done, the sooner I can beat you."

Bella snorted in disbelief and Santana laughed loudly. "How very ladylike of you, Isabella."

"I'm not a lady," Bella replied, packing the pots away. "I'm a girl."

"Indeed," Santana chuckled.

_Oh the innocent humour of children. It reminds me of-_

Santana's smile dropped quickly from her face and she cleared her throat. She tried to distract herself by discussing the upcoming weekend's plans with her daughter.

* * *

"Hey, Oliver," Brittany said in a tired voice.

"Evening, Ms. Pierce," Oliver nodded. "You must be very tired."

"I am," Brittany replied, stifling a yawn. "Been pulling crazy hours at the studio."

"Well, I'm sure a nice hit bubble bath will make you feel loads better."

Brittany smiled. "Actually, that does sound amazing. Thanks, Noddy."

Oliver chuckled. Brittany walked to the lift and pushed the button. She turned to the post boxes and checked her mail as she waited for the lift to come back down from the top floor.

* * *

"How is it that you _always_ beat me?" Santana said in fake frustration, although Bella had beaten her for real this time.

"Maybe you gave me your brains when I was born," Bella suggested like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Santana chuckled. "That must be it." She sighed and pushed herself off the floor. "You want your normal flavour?"

"Yes, please," Bella said with a triumphant grin.

"Ok, whilst I'm gone you can get yourself in the bath and ready for bed." Santana leaned down and kissed Bella's head. "Love you."

"Love you too!"

Santana pulled the door closed and locked it, glancing at the lift. She ran and managed to hit the light before the lift coming down passed her floor. She really didn't feel like waiting for the other lift. The doors slid open and she stepped in, hitting the lobby button.

* * *

Brittany raised her eyebrow at the stupid flyers that somehow always ended up in her pile of mail. She took a stack and threw them in the bin next to the lift as the doors opened. She stepped back to let the person in the lift out and looked up, meeting the occupant's eyes.

* * *

Santana's breath caught in her throat. Those piercing blue eyes overrode her senses. She couldn't move, couldn't think; she could barely breathe.

* * *

Dark eyes captured Brittany and she couldn't look away, even if she wanted to, and she really didn't. She was there. She was right in front of her. And she was looking at her.

* * *

Santana tried to swallow, but it felt like the inside of her throat had starting sprouting cotton wool and everything was as dry as the desert. She saw that familiar look in Brittany's eyes, the one look that she'd missed more than any other look. Brittany was looking at her so tenderly with a small smile and Santana felt her heart kick into high gear.

* * *

Brittany couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. She was here! The woman that she'd loved for all her life was standing within touching distance. She could see that the Latina was confused, but there was something else on her face. Brittany could still read her like a book, even after almost eight years. She wanted to touch Brittany too.

Brittany took a step forward and opened her mouth, only to be cut off by the most annoying sound in the world to her at that moment.

"What?" she snapped into her phone, her eyes not leaving Santana's, but it was too late. The spell had been broken.

"Hey."

"Sara?" Brittany asked incredulously. God, the universe had some fucked up sense of humour.

"Um, could you come over? I just really need you."

Brittany closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. This wasn't happening.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Brittany opened her eyes and her face fell. Santana was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok so a lot of people have said that it's not fair for Santana to still completely blame Brittany when clearly she was at fault too. And I agree – I hope that the scene in this chapter might help to clear that up?**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 12**

Santana bolted. As soon as Brittany closed her eyes, she ran for the door and didn't stop running until she'd rounded three blocks. She stopped and leaned against the wall, peering around the wall to see if Brittany had followed her. No sign of the blonde.

_What. The. Fuck._

She was back in New York? And she was living in the same apartment building? Did the universe have some crazy twisted sense of humour? Why was this happening _now_? Things were good. Bella was loving school, Santana's job was going great and she'd finally managed to start saving some money from her paycheck for Bella's college fund.

_Sure karma, come right on it and fuck it up a little more. Clearly my life isn't meant to be good, it's just there as a fucking amusement park._

Santana sighed, trying to quell the conflicting emotions of anger and sadness swirling inside her.

_Focus_.

_Bella. Ice-cream. She beat you at chess. Bella. Your daughter. She's waiting for you._

_Crap_.

Santana walked to the store close to her apartment building and bought Bella's ice-cream, walking home as quickly as she could. With every step she prayed that there wouldn't be a blonde dancer waiting for her. She couldn't afford not to go home. Bella was there alone and was waiting for her.

She approached the front door and peered in through the glass, but it looked empty. She took a deep breath and opened the door, walking through the lobby quickly, sending a nervous smile to Oliver.

She pushed the button for the elevator and was thankful that one was already waiting on the ground floor and it was empty. She got back to her apartment without any surprises.

"Hi, Mommy!" Bella sang as Santana closed the door behind her. "I'm all clean and ready for bed…what's wrong?"

Santana blinked. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

Bella pointed to the ice cream in her mother's hand. "You only got one."

Santana looked down. It was an unspoken tradition: When Bella won at chess, her reward was ice cream, but she insisted that Santana also get ice cream, so it was like they both won. Santana had been so lost in her own world that she'd only got ice cream for Bella.

"Oh. That's ok, baby. I don't feel like ice cream."

Bella frowned and walked up to her mother, taking her hand and leading the zombied Santana to the couch and sitting her down. She sat opposite her on the coffee table.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

Santana met her daughter's worried gaze. She knew that anything out of routine for her set off alarms in Bella's head, mostly because it rarely happened. Santana was a creature of habit and any deviation from that was almost always due to something troubling.

She stood up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a spoon. She went back to the couch and handed her daughter the ice cream and spoon. Bella frowned, but took them and started eating, still looking at her mother expectantly.

Santana's fingers started twisting around each other in nervousness. How did she explain the effect that seeing Brittany had on her when she didn't even understand it? Her daughter was only six, for Christ's sake.

"Want some?" Bella offered.

Santana smiled and took a mouthful of ice cream. As she let the cold substance roll around her mouth, she tried to sort out her words.

"Bella," she began after swallowing. Her daughter looked up, getting her full attention. "You remember when you asked me if I had anyone to sing with in high school?"

Bella nodded. "You said she left."

"She did. Uh, we never really kept in touch so I didn't know where she was or what she was doing." Santana looked down, her heart starting to speed up as she remembered locking eyes with her soul mate. She hadn't expected the immediate longing to pull Brittany into a tight embrace and never let her go. "I saw her. When I went to get ice cream."

"You did?"

"Yeah, uh. It was really weird and awkward and I wasn't expecting it at all. I didn't know what to do."

"You didn't say anything?" Bella asked. "Did you say hello?"

"I…couldn't," Santana admitted. "I…got scared. I was so scared."

"But Mommy, you're not scared of anything," Bella said with a sense of pride.

"Oh, baby, I'm scared of so much," Santana replied quickly, fighting the tears. "I'm scared of you getting hurt, I'm scared of not being there when you need me, I'm scared of something happening to my parents or my friends, I'm scared that my students are going to hate me, I'm scared-" she broke off as tears started to escape. "I'm _so_ scared of still being in love with her."

"Why?" Bella asked softly.

"Because she hurt me when she left," Santana sobbed. "She's my soul mate. She's my perfect match in _every_ way and she left me and I was broken. I…" She broke off again and dropped her head onto her knees and shook with quiet sobs.

The space next to her dipped and small hands wrapped around her, not quite reaching because Bella was still quite small.

"I want to help you, Mommy, but I don't know what to do. I don't really understand all of this."

"I know, baby," Santana said in a thick voice. "I didn't mean to just dump everything on you." She took a shaky breath. "I have no idea what to do myself."

"Maybe you should call Kurt and Rachel?" Bella suggested.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Santana whispered, wiping her eyes. She turned to her daughter and smiled. "Have I told you how amazing you are and how much I love you?"

Bella giggled, despite herself. "Not today."

"Well, Isabella Lopez, you are the most amazingly awesometastic little girl that any mother would dream of having-"

"But I'm all yours," Bella interjected proudly.

"That you are, and I wouldn't have it any other way," Santana said, running her finger across Bella's forehead tenderly.

Her daughter smiled and returned the gesture. Santana pulled her into a hug and they just stayed like that for a while until Santana could breathe like a normal person again.

"Ok, I think you should go to bed, baby girl," she said. "I'm gonna call Rachel and Kurt, but I promise we'll be quiet."

"But are you going to be ok?" Bella asked, the adorable look of concern crossing her face again.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna do my best to try."

"Ok," Bella said quietly. "Mama?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"Could I sleep with you tonight?"

Santana smiled tenderly and held out her hand. "Come on, let's go and tuck you in."

* * *

Santana walked to the door as soon as a timid knock was heard.

"Hey, Rach," she said tiredly as the small diva walked into the apartment.

"Santana, what happened? You didn't say anything on the phone and I was worrying myself sick!" Rachel said in a high-pitched squeak. "Is Bella ok? Did something happen?"

"Relax, Berry," Santana said softly, glancing over to her open door and quickly walking over to pull it closed. "Bella's fine. I called you here because I saw Brittany."

Rachel's jaw dropped and she collapsed onto the couch behind her. "You saw her?"

"Yeah." Santana ran her fingers through her hair and sat down next to Rachel. "She was waiting for the elevator when I went down."

"She…she _lives_ here?"

Santana shrugged. "I'm assuming so. We didn't really…talk."

Rachel frowned. "You didn't talk?"

Santana smirked, despite her current inner turmoil. "Are you planning on playing the role of a parrot, Berry? You seem to have the mimicking down."

"I'm sorry, Santana," Rachel said, letting her snarky comment slide. "Are you ok?"

Santana shrugged. "I'm not sure. Obviously I wasn't expecting to see her, so there was that shock, but I definitely wasn't expecting to want to hug her and kiss her."

"What?"

Santana let out a humourless chuckle. "I know, right? How fucked up is that?"

"Well, it's not really," Rachel reasoned. "Brittany was your great love in high school. It's understandable to still have _some_ sort of feelings for her."

"That's kind of the problem I'm facing here," Santana said slowly. "I don't think that they're just _some_ sort of feelings. I'm seriously freaking out about the fact that I think I may still be in love with her."

Rachel fell back against the sofa. "You can't be serious."

Santana shrugged again. "Do you think I want to feel like this? I don't want to want her. I'd be better off forgetting about her completely."

"You should, considering how she left things."

Santana sighed. "Yes, she left. And it sucked."

"It _sucked_?" Rachel said incredulously. "Santana, you can't possibly be so cavalier about what she did. We were honestly scared for your life. You weren't eating, you hardly slept, you cried all the time-"

"I know," Santana interrupted quietly, holding up a hand. "I was there, remember?"

Rachel sighed and sidled up right next to her friend. "Santana, I love you. You've become my best friend and I know that we probably would never have developed this relationship if it hadn't been for Brittany's insistence that we hang out all the time. I suppose that's one thing I can thank her for. But she broke your heart and I can't sit idly by and let you just forgive what she did like it was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing," Santana snapped. "Jesus, Rachel. I know what happened. I know how I felt and I know that I've blamed her for the last seven and a half years because I'm too much of a coward to accept that I'm the one responsible for her leaving."

"No, you're just trying to come up with a justification for still loving her," Rachel said.

"No." The word was strong, but Santana's face look resigned. She dropped her head. "I have something to confess. Kurt should probably be here for this too, especially considering he was the one that found me, but he didn't answer his phone when I called."

"He's at a show with Blaine," Rachel said quietly, her brain trying to process what Santana was trying to say.

Santana took a deep breath. "The night that Brittany and I broke up, she came home and told me that she was going on tour for a year. She didn't ask my opinion or discuss it with me, she just _told_ me. And expected me to accept it and move forward. I felt completely blindsided and did what I always do, lashed out. I told her that she was being selfish-"

"Well, she was."

Santana glared at her.

"Sorry," Rachel mumbled.

"I told her that she was being selfish and she told me that she couldn't not take the opportunity, that if she'd let it pass that she'd always regret it."

"Santana, you told us this already," Rachel reminded her quietly.

"I know," Santana sighed. "I left out the part where I told her that it was either me or the tour."

Rachel's mouth dropped. "You didn't. You gave her an ultimatum?"

Santana nodded sadly. "If I had to regret anything in my life, it would be saying that one sentence. We could've made the long distance work, but I was just so mad and so hurt that I said the worst thing that I could to make her feel as hurt as I did."

"Oh, Santana."

"This whole mess is just so fucked up."

"That's why you were so broken, that's why you didn't want to do anything," Rachel mused quietly. "You blamed yourself."

Santana nodded. "I tried to contact her around Bella's first birthday, but her number was disconnected and her parents never answered when I tried calling them."

"Oh my God," Rachel whispered.

"As much as I hate what happened, both if us were to blame, not just Brittany, and I can't undo that." Santana sighed. "And if none of that had happened, I wouldn't have the most amazing daughter. And no matter how guilty I feel about what I said to Brittany, I can't imagine my life without Bella."

Rachel nodded. "So what are you going to do now? You know she's here and she's back for good."

"Well, I don't know that," Santana replied. "I didn't even say anything to her. I was so surprised that we just looked at each other until she got a phone call. As soon as her attention was diverted, I bolted."

"Oh," Rachel said softly, looking down.

"You know something," Santana said immediately, narrowing her eyes. "I swear to God, Berry, you'd better spill before I go all Lima Heights on your ass."

"Don't hate me, please!" Rachel pleaded. "We thought-"

"_We_?"

"Yes, Kurt and I."

"Wait a second, you and Porcelain both knew something about Brittany and didn't think to mention it to me?"

"Well, we thought that it would a bad idea considering how we'd _thought_ things had ended with you and her," Rachel protested.

Santana sighed in resignation. "Fair enough. Proceed."

"We saw her for the first time-"

"_First_ time?"

"Santana, please."

"Fine."

"The night of Bella's birthday when your parents took her for the night and we went out, Kurt and I saw her in the same club we were at. I think she knew you were there. She came rushing in just before you after you'd spoken to your mom."

"This is so bizarre," Santana said herself, rubbing her temples.

"Kurt saw her again a few weeks ago when he was waiting for Bella."

"What?" It came out as a squeak.

"Relax, Brittany didn't see Bella. She happened to be walking past and she and Kurt had a quick conversation until Jerry phoned her."

"Jerry? As in her old boss from the studio?"

Rachel shrugged. "I'm assuming so. She did mention to Kurt that she was back there."

"I suppose it was only a matter of time before we ran into each other, then," Santana muttered. "God, what am I going to do?"

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Please."

"Don't rush into anything. It's been over seven years and both of you have been through a lot and probably changed as a result. I'm not saying that you could never be friends or anything, but jumping back to how things used to be between you two would be ill-advised."

"I don't think I could do that even if I tried. Brittany and I could never go back to how things used to be. Even if we ever decide to give our relationship another chance, it won't be the same. Broken hearts don't just disappear and both of us were broken."

"You still tried to reach out and help with the mending, though," Rachel reminded her. "She didn't return the gesture."

"Because I told her I hated her and didn't want to see her ever again," Santana said quietly. "I'm pretty sure that was clear enough to her that I didn't want her to contact me."

"Even though you did."

"Even though I did," Santana agreed.

"Look, Santana, I can't tell you what to do or how to feel because I honestly have no idea what you're going through, but I really think that you need to be _very_ careful about how things progress from here. Just remember, Brittany may not even want to patch things up."

"She does," Santana said quietly. "I know she does. Seven years can't erase how well we still know each other. I saw the look in her eyes and when she smiled at me…"

"Ok, look. I'm still on your side here, even though I now have a clearer understanding of what happened seven years ago. If you'd like, I can see if I can feel Brittany out, see where she stands?"

Santana smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, Rachel, but I think that this is a mess that I need to find a way to fix."

Rachel nodded and pulled Santana down to rest her head on her lap.

* * *

Brittany had been pacing around her apartment for the better part of two hours. She couldn't sit still, too wired from her unexpected run in with Santana.

She had never been so rude to Sara in her life and she was pretty sure that the girl was never going to talk to her again. If it meant that she wouldn't get any more inopportune phone calls when face to face with Santana, then Brittany had no problem with that.

As soon as she'd killed the conversation with Sara, she'd run outside, but Santana had disappeared. She'd contemplated waiting for her to come back, but she didn't even know if she _was_ coming back. Maybe she'd been on her way out to meet Kurt or Rachel or _Bella_.

Brittany gritted her teeth. Never had she despised a name so much in her life. She knew she was jealous. She didn't even try to deny it. This Bella woman was getting _everything_ that she'd had with the most perfect specimen of the female form. And it sucked.

Brittany had begrudgingly gone up to her apartment and taken a long shower. It had made her feel a little better, but now she was just restless. She felt like she needed to see Santana and talk to her and apologise, but would it even make a difference? She was with someone that she loved. Did Brittany really have the right to go and upend her life with their history? Was it fair to the Bella woman?

She sighed and went to the window. It was getting colder as winter approached and Brittany went to pull the large window down when she heard the soft voice.

She didn't need to think twice to recognise the singer, but when she heard which song Santana was singing, her heart almost broke again.

It was their song. _Their_ song. The song that Santana had sung to her to cheer her up after she'd broken up with Artie, the song that truly showcased her love.

And she wasn't singing it to Brittany.

Santana had a certain thing about music; it always symbolised something for her. She wasn't the type of person to just sing for the sake of singing. Every song was chosen for a specific reason. She also attributed feelings and people to different songs. If she was trying to deal with something painful, she'd link the feeling to a song and store that pain away with the song so that she didn't have to feel that pain again.

When her grandmother had rejected her, Santana had started listening to _Dance With My Father_ over and over again until one day, about a month after her conversation with her Abuela, Santana had deleted the song from her playlist and never listened to it again.

And here she was, singing _Songbird_ like everything was ok. Brittany let a tear run down her cheek. This song symbolised their love for each other and if Brittany knew Santana like she did, and she _did_ know her, this song would have been stored away like _Dance With My Father_. The fact that she was singing it with the same emotion that she used to with Brittany told her one thing: Santana loved Bella as much as she'd loved Brittany, maybe even more. She loved her enough to sing the most personal song in her repertoire and let go of the pain linked to it.

It told Brittany one very clear thing: Santana had moved on. She didn't love Brittany anymore, no matter what her eyes might have said when they'd run into each other.

The sooner Brittany realised that Santana would never be hers again, the better off they'd both be. She just wished that it didn't feel like her heart was breaking again.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so I hope that this chapter has cleared up some questions. Yes, both still want to be with each other (duh), but assumptions and misconceptions are preventing them from being together – let's face it, hearsay and people assuming things happen all the time.**

**If you guys think I'm dragging this out too much, I apologise. I just want the readers to be aware of what's going on in Britt and San's heads respectively so that when they meet again, their motivations for doing what they do and saying what they say is completely understood.**

**Ok, enough talk. Hope you enjoy it regardless :)**

**-H**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So it seems as though the general consensus is that the last chapter was necessary. And so we move on… :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 13**

It had been two weeks since Brittany had seen Santana. She hadn't tried to find her or go out of her way to 'accidentally' bump into her in the lobby. She'd resigned that Santana was obviously happy and that her feelings would have to remain unrequited. It sucked, though. Brittany missed her terribly and knowing how close she truly was only made her yearning that much more intense.

She focused all her energy on her work. Jerry still hadn't eased up on her; in fact he'd even added to her workload, demanding that she train a new dance instructor. That added an extra hour to Brittany's already gruelling ten-hour day. The way she felt when she wasn't dancing, though, made the extra training worth it. What Brittany didn't get though, was that if Jerry was making her train a new instructor then why was her workload still so huge? The new instructor, Max, could totally take some of the beginner classes.

Brittany was the most advanced dancer and by far the most experienced at Jerry's studio. She supposed that she should be flattered that he was giving her so many responsibilities, but regardless of Brittany's physical fitness, she was really worried that this continuous stress on her body could result in an injury and _that_ scared her more than anything. What would she do without dance?

She received a message to meet Jerry in his office during her lunch break and Brittany vowed to bring up her concerns and not allow her boss to walk all over her anymore. After all, with her expertise, she could get a job at pretty much any studio - it's not like she hadn't had offers. She'd come back to Jerry because he'd helped her get started and she believed in loyalty.

Well…with most things.

"Britt," Jerry greeted, ushering the blonde in. "Sit. You want anything? Coffee? Water? Whiskey?"

Brittany made a face at the last suggestion. "Water, please."

Jerry handed her a bottle a settled back into his chair, smiling at her. Brittany took a swig of water and watched him watch her. His smug look started to make her uncomfortable and she began to fidget. She felt like she was in the principal's office.

_Get a grip! You're a grown woman! Take initiative._

"Did you want me for something in particular, Jerry?"

"You've met my son, right?" Jerry said, leaning forward.

"Terence? Yeah, a few times."

"Well, he goes to a private school on the Upper West Side."

"Um, awesome." What the hell did any of this have to do with her?

"I know that I've been working you especially hard these last few months, but I have a reason."

Brittany stared at him in anticipation. God, the man was insufferable. Too many damn cop shows.

"And?" she eventually pressed.

"I added the extra classes to try and make some more money to invest in a new project. Terry has mentioned to me on several occasions that he feels his school needs to have a dance studio. The music and theatre programme there isn't the best and he feels that the students would really welcome something as fresh as a dance studio."

"Ok," Brittany said slowly. If Jerry was going to ask her to run the dance studio at Terry's school he was taking a hell of a long time to ask it.

"Logistics still need to be finalised with the school board, but I want to know from you if you'd be willing to step up as the instructor at the school? Your hours would be less than what you're working now, but I'll still pay you the same. Max would take your place here."

"Awesome," Brittany said, shrugging. Money wasn't an issue. She still got to teach and dance. "When do you need me to start?"

"Well, the studio hasn't been built yet, but I can take you on a tour of where it would be and you can meet the principal and some of the faculty?"

"That's ok," Brittany dismissed. "I'll just meet everyone when I start."

"Oh, ok. Um, if the plans are approved this week, which I hope for them to be, I've got a contractor who can get it done in two weeks."

"So three weeks, then?" Brittany calculated. "I just need to know how much time I have to teach Max what he needs to know to take over my advanced classes."

"Oh, well, yes then that would be accurate."

"Ok," Brittany said with a smile and stood. She paused at the look of confusion on Jerry's face. "Was there something else?"

"No, not really. I just…" he trailed off and went a little red.

"Spit it out, Jerry."

"You've been here for so long that I'd like to think I know you a little bit. You agreed to the new job so quickly. Don't you need to think it over?"

Brittany shrugged. "It's just me, so no, not really."

Jerry paused. "Are you ok, Britt?"

"Sure," Brittany replied in a monotone. "A change of scenery can always be good."

* * *

Those three weeks flew by faster than Brittany had expected. She'd walked past the school a few times and been impressed with its sheer size. The students seemed to be quite friendly as well. She'd asked a few of them about the theatre and music programmemes, but they didn't really have much to say which only really confirmed what Jerry had told her.

She'd met the principal. He was nice enough, a little weird, but she'd had to deal with Figgins in high school, so this guy was cake. The dance studio was magnificent. Brittany had been surprised at how the school had managed to find the space in their already crammed property for such an expansive studio. It had been put next to the auditorium and the music rooms. Brittany had always been fascinated by the strange noises that came out of music rooms.

The instruments that the jazz guys played when she was in Glee always sounded awesome, but when she walked past the music rooms, it sounded like Lord Tubbington when he got an upset stomach.

Now here she was on her first day teaching dance in a super fancy private school and from what the principal had told her, loads of students had already signed up for her classes. Brittany was pretty sure that the stories of her accomplishments had made the rounds and that was the motivation for the high interest.

"Ms. Pierce!"

"Morning, boss," Brittany said with a grin. "Did you enjoy the game last night?"

"Oh, what a cracker," the principal said enthusiastically. "It's a pity there's not more interest in curling."

"It is a shame," Brittany agreed.

"So, are you ready for your first day?"

Brittany grinned. "Oh yeah. I'm super amped."

"Fantastic. I think we have time to introduce you to the entire faculty before the day starts," the principal said, leading the way, chatting animatedly about the curling game.

* * *

Santana took the steps up the school two at a time. Bella had fallen asleep after she'd woken her up and as a result, they had left twenty minutes later than normal. Santana had never been late to Griffin Hill and she didn't want to tarnish her perfect record.

She jogged towards the faculty lounge to sign in and glanced at her watch. She slowed her pace when she saw that she had five minutes. She tried to calm her breathing as she stood outside the faculty lounge. Once she was sure she wouldn't look like she'd just run a marathon, Santana opened the door and slipped in towards the back. There was some kind of meeting and Santana cursed herself for missing it.

"We're very lucky to have someone so talented in our midst and I'm sure she'll only bring more prestige to Griffin Hill," DC was saying as Santana quickly signed in.

"Let's give a warm welcome to Brittany Pierce!"

Santana froze as she stood up, her eyes flying to the front of the room where DC was standing next to Brittany. Her Brittany. Dammit. Not her Brittany. Argh. What the hell?

* * *

Brittany smiled around the room at her new colleagues, but her eyes locked onto a familiar of dark eyes. The smile slowly dropped from her face. Seriously? She was here too? Did the universe hate her that much that she now had to be tortured with Santana's presence at the same school as well in the same apartment building?

Their gaze broke when someone stood in front of her and introduced himself. The natural and friendly smile returned to her face as she made her rounds, trying desperately not to look for Santana.

* * *

Santana fled for the safety of her classroom. Clearly the universe was trying to tell her something, but Brittany had looked at her very differently than when they'd met at the elevator. She looked…hurt. And sad.

The Latina sighed and flopped into her chair, running a hand through her hair. She supposed it was only a matter of time. Brittany had just been surprised the first time they'd seen each other, that's why she'd smiled. Now she remembered how mean Santana had been and she didn't want to talk to her. And honestly, Santana couldn't blame her. They would inevitably have to speak at some point, especially since they now worked at the same school (again – What. The. Fuck).

She picked up her phone and sent texts to Rachel and Kurt, informing them of her new colleague. It wasn't long before she'd received replies of encouragement and concern. It made Santana smile. Only one other person could make this day better for her. She quickly sent a text to Rachel and told her that she was going to fetch Bella as a surprise. She definitely did not want to be around after school in case Brittany came looking for her. Not that she would.

Crap. What was she going to say when they eventually did come face-to-face again? Or would she just bolt like she planned to do after school?

Santana was shaken from her inner turmoil as the first bell rang and her homeroom started trailing in, greeting her as the walked to their seats. All she needed to do was get though the first day and then she could focus on the next day.

Bottom line was that Santana was absolutely terrified of talking to Brittany, the girl she'd known pretty much her whole life, who knew (or had known) all her deepest, darkest secrets, and who'd kept her heart safe the moment they'd shared their first kiss at the age of thirteen.

"Ms. Lopez?"

"Yes, Jeremy?"

"Do you know what the new dance teacher is like? There are stories flying around that she toured with Madonna and Justin Timberlake."

"I heard she was one of the professionals on _Dancing With The Stars_," one of her other students added.

Santana felt faint. It was clear that she had no idea about Brittany's life and she shouldn't feel the need to. They were colleagues and they weren't going to be anything more than that. The sooner she realised that, the easier the transition would be.

She cleared her throat. "Well, one thing I do know for sure is that she danced on Rihanna's world tour a few years ago."

There was a chorus of impressive remarks and Santana just focused on her lessons for the day, hoping it would fly by.

* * *

Brittany's first day went by in a kind of blur. She wasn't used to a school timetable and had no time between classes to get ready. The classes just flowed into each other and were only an hour long, which didn't allow for her to actually accomplish anything constructive. By the time everyone had come in, settled down and stretched, more than half the hour had gone.

By the time lunch came around, Brittany was ready to tear her hair out. She spent her lunch in the studio, pouring over the school's timetable, trying to find a way to make her schedule easier.

After her last class departed, Brittany wasn't sure if she could call the day a success or not. The students had definitely seemed enthusiastic, which was a plus, but she hadn't really had a chance to determine what level any of the students were at. The class sizes were fine – that was something she'd been adamant about. No more than sixteen per class.

Brittany wanted so badly for dancing to become a big part of this school, especially considering the dwindling arts portfolio. A rogue thought entered her mind and she wondered if Santana was involved with the arts at all, perhaps the music programme? She shook her head. She couldn't think like that. Yes, she and Santana were now at the same school, but they would be colleagues and nothing more. Santana was with Bella and Brittany would not cause her any more pain. She would just have to be professional, even if it killed her.

She grabbed the timetable and walked to DC's office, glancing down the hall before she knocked on his door. Her knuckle rested on the glass pane as she saw Santana walking down the hall, discussing something with a student. She laughed and Brittany felt her heart flutter. She closed her eyes and knocked quickly on the office door.

"Come in!" the cheerful reply came.

Brittany turned the handle and changed one more look at the Latina and saw her meet her gaze. Time stood still for a few seconds before Brittany broke it and walked into DC's office.

"Heya, boss," she greeted, shaking off the effect the Santana still obviously had on her.

"Ms. Pierce!"

"Brittany, please. I feel so old when people call me that."

"Ok, Brittany, but I must insist that your students still call you Ms. Pierce." DC said seriously.

Brittany nodded. "They do. I understand that need for boundaries and respect and stuff."

"Excellent," DC said with a grin. "What did you want to chat about?"

"Well, I was going over the timetable and I have to say, based on what happened today, that one hour sessions aren't going to be enough. By the time the students come to the studio, get themselves sorted out and stretched properly, it's almost time for them to leave again. I need two hour sessions if I'm going to make any kind of progress with dancing at this school."

DC was quiet as he leaned back in his chair and looked behind Brittany thoughtfully. Brittany turned around, curious to see what he was staring at, but it was just his door.

"I'll have to chat to the administration, but if you feel as strongly about it as you seem to, then I'll make sure the change happens."

"Thank you, DC. That's so awesome of you."

DC chuckled. "Oh, Brittany, I hope this won't affect your number of classes though. I wasn't joking when I said that your class was popular. It's not every day that we get a celebrity to teach here."

"Who?" Brittany asked.

DC looked at her in confusion. "You."

"I'm not a celebrity," Brittany said. "I'm just a dancer. I thought you meant someone like Oprah or David Hasselhoff."

DC laughed and Brittany grinned. Even though she knew she had an odd way of thinking, it made her happy that people thought she was funny. Santana was one of the few that really got her though.

_Shit!_

Brittany shook her head. Why did Santana end up in her thoughts so much? It was going to drive her crazy. Unless she got a little closure…

"DC, I have a question and it may be a little personal, so just tell me if I'm crossing a line."

The principal indicated for her to continue.

"I think that I may have gone to school with one of the other teachers here, uh, Santana?"

"Oh, yes! Santana Lopez, one of our brightest and most popular young teachers," DC said enthusiastically. "We caught a break when we found her."

"What does she teach?" Brittany asked, hoping she sounded casual.

"English Literature. She takes most of the classes and does pretty much all the planning. Mr. Fuller doesn't mind though. I think he's relieved that he doesn't have to do it himself."

Brittany chuckled along with the principal. That sounded very like Santana – take on more work so that she can ensure that it gets done properly.

"Have you met Bella?" DC asked suddenly.

Brittany's throat dried. "Uh, n-no, I haven't had the pleasure."

"Oh, you'll love her. Everyone does. She and Santana are so cute together."

"I'll bet," Brittany said through gritted teeth.

Never mind that she couldn't escape Santana, but now she had to deal with Santana's perfect frigging girlfriend?

"Have you-" Brittany began, but was cut off by DC's phone ringing.

He held up a finger and answered. By the tone of the conversation, Brittany decided that perhaps it was her time to depart. She waved a hand in thanks and DC gave her a thumbs up.

Once on the other side of DC's office, Brittany leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? Why couldn't she just walk into Santana's classroom and talk to her?

_Because you still love her and you know that she'll be able to tell right away. And then you'll have to stand and hear her tell you how she has someone else and can't be with you._

Brittany took a deep breath and pushed off the wall, jogging to her studio. She needed to lose herself for an hour or two in a place where Santana couldn't reach her.

* * *

Santana grinned when she saw her daughter's ecstatic but surprised look.

"Mommy!" she screamed in excitement, running into her mother's waiting arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd surprise you," Santana said with a smile, tucking a loose strand of dark hair behind Bella's ear.

"Best surprise ever," her daughter declared, gripping her hand tightly. "What are we going to do?"

"Hmmm, what do _you_ feel like doing, baby?" Santana asked, smiling at the feeling of absolute contentment she had when she was with Bella. This was what was important.

"Could we go and feed the ducks?" Bella asked eagerly. "We haven't done that in ages!"

Santana tried desperately to ignore the reminder of Brittany's favourite pastime. Well, other than their bedroom activities.

_Shit! Stop it!_

"Um, sure, baby girl. Let's go and get some bread crumbs for them. I hope it's not too cold. They might be hiding away already."

"That's hibernation, right?" Bella said, using one of new words proudly.

"Close," Santana replied with a smile. "Birds don't hibernate. They migrate. But there are other animals that go into hibernation during winter."

"Oh," Bella said, mouthing the word. "Got it."

Santana grinned. She loved having these conversations with her daughter. She was pretty sure that Bella was highly intelligent and that wasn't just her talking as a proud mom – which she totally was. Bella grasped new concepts so easily and quickly and she had a scarily accurate memory. At the last meeting with Bella's teacher, it had even been suggested that Bella skip a grade, but after talking with Bella about it, her daughter had said that she didn't want to leave her friends. Santana totally understood that and wasn't about to alienate her little genius from her small group of friends.

"It's Glee night on Friday!" Bella exclaimed, jumping up and down as they walked down the sidewalk to the park.

"Yup, have you decided if you're going to sing?" Santana said in a teasing voice.

"Mommy," Bella whined, "you promised you wouldn't say anything. I don't sing as good as you and Rachel and Finn and Kurt and Blaine."

"As well," Santana corrected. "Bella, we all started somewhere. Do you know when I started singing?"

"When Abuela showed you _The Mickey Mouse Club_ on TV," Bella replied instantly.

Santana blinked. Cue scarily accurate memory. "Yeah, and I saw how much fun they had and I decided to try it. You know that you can't decide whether you're good at something or not if you don't try it." She knelt down next to Bella and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, "I've heard you sing in the bath and I think you're better than Rachel."

"Don't lie," Bella said, her eyes wide. "Mommy, you're joking."

"Would I lie or joke about something as serious as singing?" Santana in mock indignation, standing up and continuing their journey.

Bella was quiet for a while. "Better than Rachel?" she asked.

Santana nodded. "Totally."

"Better than you?"

"Now, hold up, that's aiming a little high, don't you think?" Santana said with a smile. "I mean, I am just awesome, so it'll take a _lot_ to be as good as me."

Bella smiled, catching the joking tone in her mother's voice. "Well, if I'm better than Rachel then it won't be long until I'm better than you."

"Ha!" Santana laughed. "You think you can best me, baby girl? I demand a sing off."

"Right now?" Bella looked shocked.

Santana looked around and smiled. They were standing round about where she'd sung the New York mash up with New Directions during their visit to the city for Nationals junior year.

"I've actually sung here before, but we'll keep our sing off for tonight. How does that sound? You can have home court advantage."

Bella frowned. "We both live there. It's the same for both of us."

"Can't get one past you," Santana chuckled.

"Nope," Bella said matter-of-factly. "You may be the better singer, _for now_, but I'm cleverer than you."

"Cleverer? Really?" Santana teased.

"Yes," Bella said in a determined voice, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at her mom.

"Oh, wait hold that pose," Santana begged. "Your Abuela will _love_ that look. I used to pull that all the time."

Bella posed dutifully, but Santana knew that her daughter loved taking photos. She sent the photo to her mom and to Rachel and Kurt as well, laughing out loud with Bella at their replies.

* * *

**A/N: Feedback is loved :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sincerest apologies for not updating since Friday – I've had a mad busy weekend! One chapter today and two tomorrow to make up for it :) Longest chapter yet! :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 14**

Brittany had spent most of her first week focusing on her new role as a dance teacher at Griffin Hill Academy. The students were a different breed to the type of kids she normally taught – this was both good and bad.

On the bad side, these kids had very inflated opinions of themselves and their abilities. For the most part, the poor students had been grossly misinformed and Brittany hated that she had to be the one to tell them that they pretty much sucked.

On the upside, some of the kids had some serious potential thanks to their parents' ability to send them to dance classes from a young age. Brittany was able to form very clear differentiations and create beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. DC was very happy with the setup and had managed to grant Brittany's request for two-hour classes. As a result, the dance teacher had been kept very busy planning what she was going to do with the different groups.

The faculty had been incredibly welcoming and it hadn't been hard for Brittany to quickly become popular with them – she was open and friendly and people responded to that.

Well, all except one teacher. Brittany had only glimpsed Santana in the faculty room in the mornings and in the halls from time to time. They both avoided each other and although Brittany wanted more than anything to summon up the courage to speak to her ex, the reminder of Santana immediately being able to read her terrified her. She couldn't deal with a broken heart. So she rather just prevented the hurt completely and stayed away.

Santana seemed to have the same idea, so Brittany considered herself lucky…sort of. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was protecting herself from certain heartache (again), just knowing that Santana was in the same building as her every day made her want to find her and just say hi, if _anything_.

At the end of her first week, Brittany found her legs walking hesitantly in the direction of the classrooms. She hadn't really had a chance to explore the school and she was convincing herself that's all she was doing and _not_ trying to find a certain English Lit teacher's classroom.

_Yeah, right_.

Brittany smiled at a few students still milling about and they waved in greeting. She entered a long corridor and heard faint humming that echoed down the hall. She smiled to herself, easily recognising the owner of the voice. She stepped noiselessly towards Santana's classroom and leaned against the wall next to the open door.

She heard a phone ring and Santana's bright, beautiful, musical voice answered.

"Hey, Rach," she greeted and Brittany could see the smile on her face. God, she really hated that she still knew Santana so well.

"Just grading some essays. Yup." She laughed and Brittany felt butterflies stirring. Santana had the most amazing laugh, so full of life and joy and Brittany was glad that she was embracing that part of herself – she repressed it for so long during high school. The dancer considered herself very lucky to have been one of the few that Santana had felt so comfortable around to laugh like that.

"Tonight? Yeah, I'm sure we can do that. Kurt and Blaine joining us? Ok, awesome. Bella will be thrilled. She loves going there."

Brittany let a scowl take over her face. Bella. Again. There was no escaping the person that Brittany was most jealous of in the world. She freely admitted it – Bella had everything that she wanted so desperately but couldn't have.

Santana laughed again and Brittany felt her heart ache with longing. She'd give anything to hear that laugh directed at her again, even if in a friendly nature.

_Who are you kidding?_

Brittany frowned and sighed quietly. She wanted everything with Santana again. The love, the hugs, the kisses, the_ love_, the stupid games they used to play, cooking together, waking up together, singing and dancing, _everything_. She wanted the whole nine yards. It killed her that someone else had that with the Latina because she'd been too stubborn and focused on herself to realise that single hotel rooms and crazy schedules were not what made her happy. Sure, she'd loved being on tour and she'd probably do it again given the chance, but she hadn't realised what she'd been missing until she'd seen Santana in that club. That familiar racing of her heart at the mere sight of the Latina had reminded her what it was like to be in love. Really in love. The kind of love that movies and books showcased all the time. Brittany truly believed that she and Santana had that epic kind of love.

But she was too late and now someone else got that kind of love with Brittany's perfect match. It sucked, to say the least.

"Berry, I don't care what dress you wear!" Santana said with an air of irritation, breaking Brittany out of her inner monologue. "We're not going to the fucking Ritz, for Christ's sake." She heard Santana sigh. "Of course I'm going to dress up. Bella will too. That's what we do."

Brittany frowned again. She hated that any mention of Santana's girlfriend just made her mad – she had no right to be mad! But she still got mad. And irritated. And depressed. And jealous. And very, very sad.

"Whatever, we're going to both look way hotter than you anyway," Santana said with a hint of teasing. She laughed. "Bring it, Berry. See you later. Bye."

Santana started whistling and Brittany could hear her shuffling around, probably getting ready to leave. She looked around and glimpsed a large pillar on the other side of the corridor. She leapt gracefully behind it and peered discreetly around the corner and saw the object of her utmost desire stepping out of her classroom and pulling the door closed behind her.

She started humming and Brittany held her breath, hiding behind the pillar, just closing her eyes and listening to Santana's beautiful voice. Even when she was humming softly to herself, the sound still reached Brittany's soul.

When it sounded like Santana was a few metres away, Brittany peeked out from her hiding spot and just watched the sexy teacher walk down the hall. Completely against her will, Brittany's eyes travelled down to Santana's ass, covered by slim black slacks, making her look even more sexy.

Brittany slid to the floor and buried her face in her hands. Why was she torturing herself? Lusting after someone that she knew for a fact was unavailable in every way to her was like machinism or something.

_Santana would know what you mean_.

"Shut up!" Brittany said out loud and immediately clamped her hand over her mouth.

The humming stopped. Brittany jumped up and took off down the opposite corridor, hoping Santana wouldn't come back and discover her fleeing. She spun around the corner and stopped, catching her breath and closing her eyes. She shook her head. This was stupid. Like ridiculously stupid. What in the hell was she trying to accomplish, other than alerting Santana to the fact that she was sort of stalking her and to further increase her own heartache?

"Ah! Brittany!"

The dancer jumped at the sudden voice behind her.

"Just the person I was looking for," DC said with a smile. "You're not busy, are you?"

"Uh, no," Brittany said quickly, gathering herself. "What do you need, boss?"

"I've got someone in the studio who would love to talk to you about some after school classes."

"Awesome," Brittany replied with an enthusiastic smile. She needed a distraction.

* * *

Santana frowned at the voice that echoed down the corridor as she walked towards the faculty lounge. It sounded like someone had said 'Shut up', and she was almost certain that the voice had belonged to the very person she'd been doing her best to avoid all week. So far, she'd been pretty successful, but Brittany hadn't exactly made it difficult. She'd hardly seen the dance teacher except in the faculty lounge in the morning and in passing in the hallways.

Part of Santana was thankful that Brittany seemed to be avoiding her as much as she wanted to avoid Brittany. But the other part of her, the part that knew how in love with the dancer she still was, hated it.

Santana was pretty sure that her friends would give her hell if she attempted to reconcile with Brittany, in any capacity. But after everything they'd been through and what they'd meant to each other, could they really go back to being anything other than a couple? Santana wasn't sure that she could just be Brittany's friend. The small glimpses that she'd had of the blonde had awoken the pull in her gut that, back when she was seventeen, had finally convinced her that she was in love with Brittany S. Pierce. She'd felt it when she'd locked onto blue eyes that night at the elevator and when she'd seen her in the faculty lounge for the first time. She couldn't deny it. She was tired of denying it.

After everything she'd put Brittany through in high school, denying her feelings and hiding who she was, she never wanted to go back to that. She was out and she was proud. Granted, she hadn't been with any other women but Brittany, but she was confident in her sexuality. Barring the accident (now the best accident ever) that was Bella, Santana had _no_ desire towards being with men. She'd noticed other women, sure – she was still hot-blooded, after all, but no one but Brittany had shared her bed. Santana found herself strangely content with that. After a very…open high school reputation, she relished that she had sworn herself to one woman and upheld that promise with no regret whatsoever. That had been one of her biggest fears – not being able to love Brittany so completely and hurting her.

_Not being good enough for her_.

Santana closed her eyes at the rogue thought. No. She wouldn't think like that. Brittany didn't want to talk to her for whatever reason – _other than the fact that you told you hated her and never wanted to see her again?_ – and she wasn't about to make an already awkward situation even more awkward by reaching out when her ex clearly didn't want to reach back.

She was gratefully jolted from her thoughts by her phone.

"Hey, Porcelain," she greeted.

"Santana, I love you, but your Sue Sylvester impression leaves a lot to be desired," Kurt replied dryly.

Santana laughed. "Ok, Kurtie," she said in a sugary sweet voice.

"Oh, God," Kurt muttered. "Look, I just called to let you know that your glorious daughter and I are going shopping for tonight's dinner."

"Kurt, you spoil her too much," Santana groaned. "Do you know how difficult it is for me to take her shopping? You've increased her taste about two hundred percent above my pay grade."

Kurt giggled. "Aren't you just so lucky that I've decided to expand my line to kidswear."

Santana's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"As the size of Kim Kardashian's ass."

Santana chuckled.

"We'll discuss it more at dinner tonight. For now, your daughter wishes to have a word."

Santana smiled and waited for Bella's sweet voice.

"Hi, Mommy!"

"Hey, baby! Did you have a good day?" Santana asked, unable to keep the giddiness out of her voice. Talking to Bella just brought it out naturally. She had no control over it.

"It was awesome!" Bella gushed. "I want to tell you all about it later."

"Ok, baby girl. Then what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I love you."

Santana's eyes stung with emotion. She had reached the faculty lounge and just leaned against the wall, holding a hand over her heart and smiling.

"Oh, Bella, you have just made my week. I love you so much, baby. I can't wait to see you later."

"Bye, Mommy! We're going shopping now."

"I know. Have fun. Bye."

Santana ended the call and just looked at her phone in astonishment. Her daughter sometimes surprised her with the most thoughtful things and she loved it.

* * *

Brittany walked with DC towards the studio and paused at his office so that he could grab something.

"Oh, Bella, you have just made my week. I love you so much, baby. I can't wait to see you later."

A large lump immediately formed in Brittany's throat as she heard Santana's voice laced with love and affection. She glanced around the corner and saw the English Lit teacher leaning against the wall and looking at her face with a look of disbelief on her face.

Brittany wished more than anything that the look of complete devotion on Santana's face would be directed at her.

_One day…_

Brittany rolled her eyes at her wistful self. There was no way, with how Santana was looking at her phone, that things were going to end between her and Bella anytime soon.

"Ok, let's go!" DC announced, waving a folder in his hand.

Brittany pasted a smile on her face and followed the principal around the corner, knowing that she'd have to walk past Santana to do it. She held her breath.

* * *

Santana looked up as DC came around the corner. She smiled in greeting, but the smile froze when she saw who was trailing him. Brittany's head was down and Santana didn't even have to see her face to know that she was sad.

To this day, Santana didn't know what made her do it – perhaps it was the fact that she'd always had an innate need to stop Brittany from being sad, perhaps it was a gravitational force, perhaps it was a spike of confidence from Bella's message.

Santana reached and grabbed Brittany's hand. She sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of Brittany's skin against her own. A sizzle of electricity ran up her arm. The dancer's eyes shot up and met hers. She stopped and just stared, confusion clouding her beautiful blue eyes.

Santana opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her eyes bore into Brittany's and the blonde seemed to understand what she was trying to ask.

Are you ok?

Brittany nodded subtly and gave Santana a small smile before subtly squeezing the Latina's fingers and pulling her hand away to continue following DC.

Santana's heart was pounding and her hand felt hot from holding Brittany's. It still felt so incredibly right. She hoped to God that Brittany had felt it too.

* * *

Brittany couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she skipped home. Santana had touched her. _Touched_ her. She'd done it consciously and knowingly, not by accident. And the concerned look in her eyes told Brittany that she could still read her as easily as when they'd been together. But she'd known that. It would probably never go away, no matter how long they'd been apart.

They hadn't said anything, but at the same time, they'd said so much. Words were just a formality with Brittany and Santana. Their connection ran so much deeper than mere conversation. They spoke to each other with looks, with touches, with smiles. Their bodies communicated what they didn't need to say.

And the reason for Brittany's smile was that the connection was still very much alive and kicking.

"Hi, Noddy!" Brittany said happily, smiling wide at the doorman.

"Ms. Pierce," Oliver nodded.

Brittany bounced on her toes as she rode the elevator up to her floor. Once inside, she immediately went to her stereo and put on some music. She kicked off her shoes and stood in the middle of where her living room would have been, if she had any furniture. She spent the next hour dancing, letting her body move to the music pulsating through the speakers. The smile didn't leave her face once.

* * *

"Ok, what's up with you?" Kurt demanded as they finished off their wine later that night.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked cautiously.

"You've had this little smile on your face the whole night. Spill."

"I've seen it too," Rachel piped up.

Santana sighed. "It was just a…nice moment at work."

"With?" Kurt prodded. Rachel had informed him and Finn of the true nature of Santana and Brittany's break up, so he was a little softer on blaming the blonde for everything. But only a little.

"Kurt," Blaine discouraged softly.

"Blaine, Santana owes us some good gossip from that high-and-mighty place she teaches at," Kurt replied with a smirk. He turned back to the Latina. "Now, dish."

"Look, you guys have to hear me out and promise not to judge, ok?" Santana said quickly.

"Oh no," Rachel and Kurt said in unison.

Santana rolled her eyes. "You see? This why I haven't said anything."

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked in concern.

Santana frowned. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"So it wasn't…awkward or anything?" she pressed.

"It's been the very definition of awkward for the whole week, but we crossed paths after school and she looked so sad that I…" Santana trailed of and started playing with a strand of her daughter's hair softly.

Everyone at the table leaned forward (except Bella because she was passed out, stretched out along the chairs with her head resting in her mother's lap).

"And?" Kurt and Rachel both screeched.

"I grabbed her hand."

"And?" Kurt and Rachel asked in unison again.

"And…it felt exactly like the last time I touched her," Santana said with a smile. "She looked surprised and then gave me a smile and walked away."

"And?"

"Geez, guys," Finn chuckled. "Did you rehearse that?"

Both Rachel and Kurt silenced him with a glare.

"And that was it," Santana concluded.

"That's it?"

"Rachel, you're doing the parrot thing again," Santana teased.

"You've had this shit-eating grin on your face the whole night because you _held her hand_?" Kurt asked slowly.

Santana sighed. "Look, I don't expect you guys to get it. Brittany and I never needed words to talk to each other."

"Yeah, I remember," Rachel huffed. "You guys would just look at each other and we'd all know you were having a full on conversation. It was highly annoying."

Santana chuckled. "Well, it is what it is."

"So now what?" Blaine ventured.

Santana shrugged. "I'm not going to get my hopes up or anything. I mean, it's been seven and a half years and I don't even know who she is now. Plus, I don't know if she's seeing anyone or if she even wants to fix us. _I_ don't even know if we can get back to what we were before we were together."

"Don't kid yourself, Santana," Rachel chided. "You and Brittany have _always_ been together."

Santana smiled a little at that and stroked her daughter's hair absently. "I'm taking this one step at a time. I think it'd be best for me to let her make the next move. I don't want to put myself out there only to get shot down." Santana dropped her head. "I'm not so sure I could handle that. Plus, we work together. We have to very careful that whatever happens, _if_ anything even happens, that it won't affect our working relationship."

"Do you even have one?" Kurt asked.

"Well, no," Santana admitted.

"Santana, I agree that the proverbial ball is now in Brittany's court and I, for one, couldn't be happier that you two seem to be on the track to friendship, if nothing else."

"Thanks, Rach," Santana said, smiling.

"Counting the proverbial chickens, aren't we?" Kurt said with raised eyebrows.

"Kurt," Blaine warned, placing his hand over his boyfriend's.

"No!" Kurt snapped, his eyes flashing. "Am I the only one who remembers what Brittany put her through?"

"Kurt," Santana said, her voice hard and her eyes narrowing, "first of all, lower your voice because if you wake Bella up I _will_ go all Lima Heights on your ass. Secondly, I love you for being so protective of my heart, but I'm a big girl now. And thirdly, you seem to forget that _I was there_ when she left. I know exactly what I went through."

"And you're willing to forgive and forget?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

Santana paused. "We both said things that we probably didn't mean. I know I did and I know Brittany – she lets her emotions rule her and I pissed her off, so naturally she was going to lash out." She sighed. "It is a fucked up situation, but I want to try and at least make amends for the things that I said to her. If she doesn't want a relationship or even a friendship with me, I guess I'll have to deal with that, but more than anything I need her to know how sorry I am for the things that I said."

The table was quiet as Santana's speech sank in.

"Fine," Kurt said finally, "but I reserve the right to fulfil my position as your protector if she does anything to hurt you again."

Santana shrugged in concession.

"Um, Kurt, exactly what kind of protection can you offer Santana?" Rachel asked sweetly. "You can't even throw a toilet roll threateningly."

The adults chuckled and just like that, the tension was diffused.

* * *

Brittany's phone buzzed and she stopped her dancing, breathing hard. She glanced at her clock. An hour of dancing had turned into three. Her friends form the studio wanted her to join them at a club. Brittany grinned. She still had bundles of energy and her happiness knew no bounds.

She texted a quick reply and ran to the bathroom.

* * *

"It's still early," Kurt complained as the dinner party walked out of the restaurant. "I don't want to go home yet."

"I'm up for a little clubbing," Blaine offered with a smile.

"This is why I love you," Kurt sighed, dropping his head onto his boyfriend's shoulder.

"How about you guys?" Blaine asked Rachel and Finn.

"Not tonight," Rachel declined. "I have fittings this entire weekend. A late night would kill me."

Finn just nodded in agreement and Santana rolled her eyes.

"Santana?" Blaine queried.

"Gotta get my baby home," Santana replied, squeezing her daughter as she slept in her arms.

"We could take her," Rachel offered. "Come on, you rarely go out, Santana, and I know you miss it."

Santana grinned. "You sure?"

"Absolutely," Finn said, holding out his arms.

Santana kissed Bella's forehead softly and held her a little tighter before lifting her daughter into Finn's arms. Bella immediately snuggled into the familiar warmth.

"Thanks, guys," Santana said gratefully. "I could use the relaxation."

"No strange one-night-stands, Santana!" Rachel said teasingly as she and Finn headed in the direction of their apartment.

"Oh, hardy har," Santana replied sarcastically. She waved at the couple and turned back to Blaine and Kurt, linking her arms through theirs. "Lead the way, boys."

* * *

Brittany threw her hair back as the music engulfed her. God, she loved to dance. Choreographed or free, she loved being able to move her body to the inner beat that pulsed through her veins.

Darren, one of Brittany's former trainees, grabbed her hand and pulled her back to their table. She squinted through her alcoholic daze at four shots of a strange green liquid.

"Wassat?" she yelled.

Darren just smiled. "Trust me, Britt. You're gonna love this."

Brittany shrugged and took a shot, downing it and immediately feeling a head rush as the alcohol hit her body. Wow, that shit packed a punch.

"Absinth," Darren said in her ear. "This night's about to get wild."

"Hi, everyone!" a familiar voice shouted over the music.

Brittany turned and frowned. "Sara, whadryoudoinhere?" Her words ran all together.

Sara raised an eyebrow.

"She's been shot heavy tonight," Darren laughed. "I think she needs someone to take care of her."

Sara grinned. "I'm sure I can do that." She grabbed Brittany's hand and pulled her back onto the dance floor.

The music overtook Brittany again and she let herself be swept away, not paying attention to Sara's hands roaming all over her body.

* * *

Santana laughed as Blaine and Kurt did the robot. She was having a great time. She'd only had two drinks, enough to give her a very slight buzz, but Blaine was going all out. Luckily, he loved to dance when he got drunk and Santana had wanted to do just that.

"Drink?" Kurt asked, motioning to the bar.

Santana contemplated for a second and nodded, following him to the crowded bar.

* * *

Brittany was letting the alcohol control her actions. And at that moment, she was horny as hell. Sara was there and Santana was with Bella, so Brittany figured, in her intoxicated state, that it wouldn't be cheating if she responded to Sara's very obvious advances.

Brittany spun around and danced with her back against Sara's front. Sara's hands ran up and down her bare legs and squeezed her hips. Brittany ground her ass into Sara and heard her ex-lover (or current lover?) moan loudly at the friction.

"Drink!" Brittany suddenly yelled, grabbing Sara's hand and pulling her towards the bar.

She pushed Sara against the counter and pressed into her. Sara's hands immediately found the blonde's ass and squeezed.

"I think you should at least buy me a drink if you want me to come home and fuck you senseless," Brittany said in Sara's ear, nipping and licking it.

"Brittany?"

The blonde froze at the familiar musical voice. She slowly raised her head from Sara's ear and saw Santana's face. She was standing right next to Brittany and had to have heard what she'd said to Sara.

_Shit. Fuck. Shit._

Brittany's face must have flashed through several expressions within a few seconds: horror, shame, surprise, disgust, longing, sadness, embarrassment to name but a few. There were only two that crossed the Latina's: first, her brow creased and her eyes filled with hurt. Two seconds later, the hurt was replaced with an emotion Brittany was all too familiar with coming from Santana – anger.

She spun on her heel and pushed her way through the crowd to get to the exit, Kurt hot on her tail.

"Santana!" Brittany called after her, trying to follow, but Sara was keeping a tight hold on her. She jerked away from the other dancer. "Leave me the fuck alone!" she yelled, throwing herself into the crowd after Santana.

She pushed forcefully through the dancing masses, her hazy eyes floating across the mass of blurs. Crap, she could barely see anything. How the hell was she supposed to find Santana?

A flash of blue caught Brittany's eye. Santana had been wearing a blue dress. She took off after it, regardless of whether it was the right person or not. As she got closer to the exit, she saw that it was indeed Santana. She called out to her, but her voice was lost in the loud music. Or Santana just ignored her. Brittany couldn't blame her.

She was within arm's reach. Brittany went to grab her arm, but her own was wrenched away and she found herself face to face with Kurt. At least, she thought it was Kurt. It kinda looked like him, but her vision was fucked. She'd only been able to focus on Santana.

"You will stay away from her," Kurt said firmly, closely and loudly enough for Brittany to hear. "Do you understand me, Brittany? Don't even _think_ about talking to her again. She's too good for you."

Brittany blinked and Kurt was gone. She swirled around, but her vision was blurring really badly until it just faded to black.

* * *

**A/N: Don't hate me, ok? *ducks flying objects* There is a method to my madness! I promise! Things will only get better from here on in!**

**Also, on a personal note, I had some serious family shit go down today so I felt the need to write a heavy emotional, angsty chapter.**

**Even if you want to kill me, feedback is always appreciated.**

**New chapter will be posted tomorrow. Possibly two if you're super nice ;)**

**-H**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Firstly, thanks to everyone for their kind words – things are ok, for now :) How about I just focus on writing more chapters for you guys?**

**Secondly, Brittany is taking SO much heat for her royal fuck up – note to self: Absinth is a REALLY bad idea. So now she needs to find a way to make Santana talk to her again…**

**Thirdly, 100 reviews? WOW – thank you guys SO much for your interest :) It really puts the biggest smile on my face :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 15**

Santana woke up and her face was dry, her eyes sore. Why did this feel so familiar? She glanced around. She was in her room at Rachel and Finn's. Wait…had everything just been a dream? A horrible nightmare? The last eight years had never happened?

"Mommy?"

_Thank God._

Santana turned over in the bed and saw Bella sitting up and looking at her with a worried expression.

"Hey, baby girl," Santana whispered, not trusting her voice. She propped up her elbow and rested her head on her hand. She tucked strands of Bella's hair behind her ear.

"Are you ok?"

Santana took a deep breath. "I'm not great, but I think I will be."

Bella looked down as she played with her fingers, a nervous habit she'd obviously picked up from her mother. Santana grabbed her hands and stilled them.

"You woke me up when you came to bed," Bella said quietly. "You were shaking. It sounded like you were crying."

"I was," Santana said, her voice croaky. She cleared it. "I heard something last night that really hurt my feelings."

"Who hurt you, Mama?" Bella asked earnestly. "I'll go all Lima Heights on their a-"

"Uh, not necessary, baby girl," Santana stepped in quickly. Hearing her six-year-old cuss was not something she was ready for, but it didn't stop the smile from creeping onto her face at her daughter's desire to protect her. "Do you remember that girl from high school?"

Bella's eyes widened. "You saw her again?"

Santana nodded, the memory of hearing and seeing Brittany, her Brittany, all over another girl. She closed her eyes, but a tear escaped and rolled slowly down her cheek. Santana felt a soft hand on her cheek, wiping the tear away.

"If she hurt you then she doesn't love you," Bella said matter-of-factly. "Kurt and Rachel both told me that. If you love someone, you shouldn't hurt them."

Santana nodded again and let Bella snuggle against her chest.

"Don't worry, Mama. I still love you."

Santana just closed her eyes, pulled her arms tightly around Bella and let the fresh set of tears fall.

* * *

Her head felt like a fifty-pound rock. She groaned and rolled over, immediately wishing she hadn't even moved. Brittany lay still for a few minutes, trying to remind herself how her body worked. Everything felt alien. For a brief moment, she wondered if she'd been abducted again. She did remember some green juice…

_Fuck_.

Santana.

Why, why, why, _why_ had she been so fucking stupid? And with _Sara_? Brittany groaned at the reminder of her ex-lover's hands all over her body and the look on Santana's face.

She pushed herself up and blearily opened her eyes, having to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She wasn't in her apartment. She was in Sara's bed. Brittany lifted the sheets and winced when she saw that she was naked. She figured that she'd passed out. In the club – God, _that_ must've been attractive. She vaguely remembered seeing Kurt and him saying something about staying away. Had Sara then brought her back here? If Brittany had been virtually unconscious, the thought of Sara having sex with her kinda grossed her out.

"Look who's finally awake," a sugary sweet voice said from the doorway.

"Whyaminaked?" Brittany mumbled, her mouth refusing to co-operate.

"What?"

Sara walked in and sat down on the bed next to Brittany. She reached out and brushed blonde hair out of the dancer's face. Brittany jerked back away from her touch.

"What happened?" Brittany said slowly.

"You passed out in the club," Sara stated. "I brought you back here."

"Where are my clothes? We didn't…?" Brittany tried to hide the grimace.

Sara raised an eyebrow. "It's strange. Last night you were begging me to bring you here to do exactly that. But, no, we didn't. You undressed yourself at some point."

Brittany sighed in relief and dropped her head back on the pillow.

"Do you want something to eat?" Sara offered. "You've been out the whole day. You must be starving."

"The whole day?" Brittany asked in disbelief. That green stuff must have been a lot more potent than Darren let on.

"It's about nine pm. And it's Saturday night," Sara informed her.

"Um, could you just get me a glass of water?" Brittany asked sheepishly. "I think it would better if I just went home."

Sara frowned. "You don't have to."

"Yeah," Brittany said firmly, "I do."

"Why?" Sara burst out. "Jesus, Britt! You come onto me like a frigging sex maniac last night and now you can't wait to get away from me? What the hell is your problem?"

Brittany sighed. "Look, I was drunk last night. Whatever I did was a mistake. I should never even have had that stupid shot."

Sara snorted. "Sure, blame it on the alcohol. Just go on lying to yourself. You wanted to come home with me last night because you want _me_."

"I don't," Brittany replied softly. "I'm sorry, Sara, but I'm in love with someone else and I don't want anyone else but her."

"What?" Sara asked in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right? You don't fall in love, Britt. You told me that."

Brittany just gave her a pointed look.

"Oh," Sara said in understanding. "It's her, isn't it? Your ex? The one who told you to fuck off? God, she must have you wrapped around her finger."

"Don't you dare talk about her like that," Brittany said in a low voice. She didn't often get angry, but when people wanted to hurt Santana, it was an innate reaction. "What we have is…something only we understand."

Sara laughed mirthlessly and stood up from the bed. "That's a fucking cop out, Brittany. If you two are meant to be together, why are you naked in _my_ bed?"

Brittany glared at Sara and threw back the covers, not caring that Sara could see everything. She grabbed her clothes from the floor and quickly dressed.

"Look," she said diplomatically, "I appreciate you taking care of me and everything, but it won't make me want you or want to be with you. My heart belongs to Santana. It always has and it always will. There's nothing I can do to change that and, honestly, I don't want to. Even if I never get to be with her again, I'll still love her because she's my match. I'm sorry if it hurts you to hear that, but it's the truth."

"Whatever," Sara said with narrowed eyes. "She's only going to hurt you again."

"No, she won't," Brittany said, sadness filling her heart. "I've already done enough damage."

Sara turned and walked out the bedroom. Brittany took a deep breath and walked into Sara's bathroom to fix her hair and disastrous make up. She had to earn Santana's forgiveness. Even if she was in a relationship with someone, she didn't want the Latina to think that she wanted nothing to do with her. If all she ever got was forgiveness, she'd be happy with that.

* * *

Santana stood outside the faculty lounge on Monday morning and took a deep breath before pushing the door open and walking in. It was early so there were only a few other teachers in the room. She greeted them and went to sign in. She made small talk with her colleagues and immediately left the room when she saw Brittany walk in.

The dancer's eyes caught hers before Santana exited and she had to swallow at the sadness there. Brittany being sad was like a crime against the universe. The brightest day grew dull when she wasn't smiling.

_Argh! Stop it! She made her feelings about you very clear on Friday night. You need to forget about her._

Santana took a deep breath and headed for her classroom. She was pretty sure that if she stayed holed up in there forever, she could minimise the time she was forced to be in the same vicinity as Brittany.

Her friends had been very supportive and given her a wide berth, offering to take Bella and give her some alone time, but Bella didn't want to leave her mother and Santana didn't want her to, either. They spent their entire Sunday curled up on the couch watching movies. It had allowed Santana to momentarily forget about the image that was now burned into her mind. Brittany biting and licking the other girl's ear, telling her that she was going to fuck her sense-

_STOP!_

"Fuck," Santana muttered, opening her classroom and falling into her chair. "Why, why, why, _why_? When will I learn?"

The bell rang and Santana sat up. She hadn't even realised that half an hour had passed since she'd left the faculty lounge.

_Great, I'm losing my fucking mind_.

Her homeroom started trailing in, sending greetings her way. Santana was too wrapped up in her thoughts to reply, causing her students to frown.

"Ms. Lopez?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you ok? You've been sitting staring at the same spot on your desk for like five minutes."

Santana's eyes snapped up. Her class was looking at her with concern and she felt a rush of emotion. "Sorry, guys," she said quickly, sending them a small smile. "Bella had, uh, a nightmare last night so I didn't get much sleep. I'm pretty beat."

_Great, you're using your daughter as an excuse now. Bravo, Santana_.

"When are you gonna bring her round again?" one of the students asked enthusiastically. "She's super cute."

Santana smiled, for real this time. "I'll have to ask her if she can stomach all you inferior beings," she teased with a wink.

Her class laughed and Santana visibly relaxed. She just needed to lose herself in her job, which wouldn't be difficult with Christmas break coming up. There were loads of papers that she was expecting to come in that would occupy her mind.

"Have a good day, guys," she called as the bell for first period rang and her students filed out.

Santana stayed holed up in her classroom during lunch, getting a head start on her marking. She's been at it for about twenty minutes when her pen froze as she felt a familiar presence in the room. She didn't dare look up. It infuriated her that she was still so attuned to Brittany's body that she could feel when the blonde walked into a room.

She reread the same paragraph she'd been on for the fifth time, but nothing was registering. She was dying for Brittany to say something, anything. The tension was eating away at her and damned if she was going to say something first.

"I never thought I'd see you in a classroom again."

_Seriously? That's what you came up with, Brittany?_ Santana fumed silently. She hated how the sound of Brittany's voice after so many years directed at her sent shivers up her spine.

_Get a fucking grip, Lopez_.

"But it suits you," Brittany continued.

"And how would you know?" The defensive words slipped out of Santana's mouth before she could filter them. Her gaze stayed on the paper in front of them, but her heart was thumping at a million miles a minute.

"Fair enough," Brittany conceded. "I guess I deserved that."

Was this how things were going to be between them now? Were they just going to make painful small talk, pretend like nothing had happened? Santana preferred the silence.

"You look good, San. Really. You look happy."

Santana froze again. She'd called her San. Brittany was the only person who was allowed to call her that and to hear it tumble from her lips so effortlessly just made the Latina's heart ache and she felt that familiar pull in her gut. She took a quiet breath.

"What do you want?" she asked, glad her voice came out stronger than she felt. "As you can see, I'm actually quite busy."

Santana had to protect her heart. If it meant that she had to be a bitch to Brittany, then so be it. Once upon a time, the blonde had been the only one exempt from Santana's wrath, but she'd lost that right. Now, it belonged to Bella and to her family. She couldn't let them down again. They'd pulled her back seven and half years ago and she wasn't about to make them do the same thing again.

She'd given Brittany a chance and the dancer had thrown it back in her face. Cue the stronghold around her heart.

"Santana, I just wanted to apologise," Brittany said softly.

"For what?"

Brittany was quiet and Santana chanced a look. She was looking down, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her brows furrowed in concentration.

Santana's phone vibrated on her table and she frowned. Her friends and family knew not to call her during school hours.

"Hello?"

"Santana Lopez?"

"Yes," Santana replied, frowning.

"I'm calling about Isabella. She's your daughter, correct?"

"Y-Yes," Santana stuttered, her heart racing. "Is she ok?"

"She's fine. She had a bit of a fall during recess and her ankle looks like it could be sprained. The nurse is having a look at it now, but thinks it would be best if you could come and fetch her?"

"Y-Yes," Santana said loudly, causing Brittany to jump. "I'm on my way. Just…just tell her that I love her and I'm on my way, ok?"

"Will do, Ms. Lopez."

"Thank you." Santana hung up the phone and started throwing half the stuff on her desk into her bag, not even registering what she was putting in.

"Everything ok?"

Santana blinked and looked up, her eyes meeting Brittany's unintentionally.

"I've gotta go. My, uh…I've gotta go," Santana stumbled, not entirely sure why she felt Brittany should know. She closed her bag and pulled it onto her shoulder.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Brittany asked and Santana could hear the concern in her voice.

She met blue eyes again. "No," she said firmly. "You're not part of my life anymore, Brittany. You made that much _very_ clear."

Santana hurried out of her classroom before Brittany had a chance to respond. Tears ran down the Latina's cheek and she couldn't figure out if they were because of Bella or Brittany.

* * *

Brittany felt her heart sink at Santana's words. It was her greatest fear. Santana wasn't going to forgive her. She'd had her chance and she'd blown it. Sniffing as tears swam in her eyes, Brittany walked out of Santana's classroom and headed towards the faculty lounge. She needed coffee. She felt so drained all of a sudden. Her normally boundless energy had disappeared at Santana's harsh rejection.

Brittany recalled her voice as she'd spoken on the phone. Santana had sounded so scared. She was pretty sure that the phone call had something to do with Bella and seeing Santana's reaction to something potentially happening to her had just cemented the reality of Brittany's situation: Santana was completely devoted to Bella and Brittany had zero chance of any kind of reconciliation.

The dancer sighed as she walked past DC's office. The door was open and she could hear Santana's frantic voice.

"I'm so sorry! I know this is totally unprofessional, but she…I have to…" her voice broke off as words failed her in her panic.

"Santana, it's perfectly alright. We all know how much Bella means to you. Go. I'll call in one of our subs. Take tomorrow off too and let me know if you need longer."

"DC, you are unbelievable," Santana said gratefully. "Thank you so, so much."

She raced out of the office, not even noticing Brittany standing a few feet away. The dancer watched her ex sprint down the hall, her hair trailing behind her. Even in a complete panic, she still managed to look beautiful.

"Brittany!" DC said warmly, walking out of his office. "Having a good day?"

Brittany forced a smile. "I can definitely say that I've had better."

"Ah, chin up," DC grinned. "I'm sure it'll get better."

_I'm pretty sure it won't_, Brittany thought. _I'm pretty sure that I've lost her forever_.

* * *

"Normally I wouldn't encourage this, but if you can get me to my daughter's school in five minutes, there's a big tip in it for you," Santana said to the cabbie as he pulled away from her school.

"You got it, lady," the cabbie replied, increasing his speed with a squeal of his tyres.

A trip that would normally take closer to twenty minutes took six and a half minutes and Santana thanked him, throwing far too much money on the front seat and jumping out. She took the steps into the school two at a time.

"Hi!" she said breathlessly to the secretary. "I'm Santana Lopez. I'm here for Isabella Lopez."

"Certainly, Ms. Lopez. She's just through here," the secretary smiled, walking across the hall.

Santana walked through the door and saw Bella sitting on a bed, frowning at her strapped up ankle. The nurse was talking softly to her.

"How has she been?" Santana whispered.

"Like a trooper, actually," the secretary replied. "Not many six-year-olds exhibit that kind of strength."

Santana smiled proudly. "Mommy's girl."

Bella looked up and her eyes met Santana's. She smiled and as though someone flipped a switch, her eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"Mama," she sobbed, holding out her arms.

Santana crossed the room and sat on the bed, pulling Bella into her arms, careful not to hurt her ankle. Bella gripped her mother tightly around the neck and sobbed into her blouse. Santana hummed an old Spanish lullaby and stroked Bella's hair gently.

"You've got a very brave girl there, Ms. Lopez," the nurse said with a smile.

"I know," Santana murmured, kissing Bella's head. "Any recommendations on how to make recovery as painless as possible?"

"As I've told Bella already, she should stay in bed for the rest of today and possibly tomorrow. Her ankle needs to be elevated higher than her chest and the strapping should be redone three times a day, but never left off. If the swelling doesn't go down by tonight, then you can use ice, but that's pretty uncomfortable. Here's a tube of Arnica. Rub it gently around the swollen area before you restrap and she should be good as new in a few days."

"Thank you," Santana said gratefully. "So she shouldn't put any weight at all on it?"

"For today, definitely not. Maybe late tomorrow she can start walking around. The most important thing is to get the swelling down."

Santana nodded and kissed Bella's head again. "Come on, baby girl. Let's get you home."

Bella loosened her grip around her mother's neck enough for Santana to swing her onto her hip. As soon as she was settled into a comfortable position, Bella's arms tightened and she rested her head in the crook of Santana's neck.

"If I may," the nurse said softly, placing a hand on Santana's arm, "I see a lot of single parents coming through here, but you've done an amazing job with Bella. She's selfless, friendly, smart and gracious."

Santana's heart fluttered with the praise. "Thank you. That really means a lot. She makes it easy, though. Baby?"

Bella lifted her head. The tears had stopped, but her eyes were still red and she just looked tired.

"I think you should say thank you to the nurse for doing such a super job patching you up."

"Thank you," Bella whispered, leaning her forehead against Santana's lips.

Santana responded to Bella's wishes and kissed her forehead three times before leaning back and running her finger across it. Bella smiled and did the same to her mother.

"That is too adorable," the nurse said with a smile. "And Bella, you get better soon, ok? I need someone to help keep my sick room empty."

Santana looked at the nurse in confusion.

"Oh, she's taken it upon herself to marshal the playground and make sure that the kids aren't doing anything that could land them in here."

"Really?" Santana asked Bella, who had rested her head in the crook of her mother's neck again.

Bella nodded slightly. "They get hurt and then miss school. And school's fun so they shouldn't miss school."

"That's my girl," Santana murmured. She turned to the nurse. "Thank you again."

"It's really no problem. Not with her, anyway."

Santana smiled and walked out of the nurse's room, careful not to knock Bella's sore ankle on anything. The secretary handed her Bella's backpack and mother and daughter took a long stroll home, Santana humming to her the whole time.

* * *

Brittany sat at her window with a glass of wine. Her day hadn't got any better after seeing Santana. The Latina's words had run through her head every few minutes and her concentration had been nowhere. Her students were surprised at how unfocused she was, considering she often teased them about not concentrating.

How had she fucked this thing up so completely? Santana had given her a small window of opportunity on Friday by taking her hand and all she'd done was throw it back in her face. She needed to do something. She needed to make Santana understand how sorry she was. Even if the Latina didn't forgive her, at least she'd know how much Brittany regretted what she did.

The evening was getting colder and Brittany pulled her blanket around her, moving to pull the window closed, but a familiar voice stopped her.

"Oh, she's pulling out all the tricks. The puppy dog eyes, that adorable pout. How can I say no? She has me completely wrapped around her finger." Santana laughed and Brittany winced at the tug at her heart.

"She's sleeping now. Hopefully she'll be out for the night otherwise I know I won't get any sleep." She laughed again. "I wish. I don't even think I remember how to do that anymore." She giggled. Brittany loved that giggle. "Ew, Berry, no thank you. I definitely do _not_ need any kind of help in that department. Are you sure Finnocence is doing it right?"

Brittany could almost hear Santana's smirk.

"Ok, ok, I _really_ don't need to know about that," Santana laughed. "I've been there, remember? Ah, come on, Rach. You know I'm only teasing you. Yup, I got tomorrow off to stay with her. I'll see how she feels tomorrow night." She paused as Rachel said something. "Well, I've got a fuck load of papers to grade, so I can't really afford to be off for more than one day. You will? Rach, you are a rock star. Thank you!" She laughed. "Ok, Broadway star, whatever. I know. Yeah, she misses you too. Thanks again. Chat to you tomorrow. Bye."

Brittany closed her eyes as Santana started to hum. It was honestly one of the most soothing sounds in the world for Brittany. She wished she could record it and keep it playing on repeat in her ear.

Brittany's eyes stayed closed as tears started rolling down her cheeks. The familiar tune of _Songbird_ floated up, yet another reminder for Brittany that she and Santana didn't have a future.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks again for everyone's reviews. The next chapter will contain the highly anticipated meeting between Brittany and Bella! :) Stay tuned!**

**As always, feedback is loved.**

**-H**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: The chapter you've all been waiting for :) I hope it doesn't disappoint…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 16**

A month passed without Brittany and Santana saying a word to each other. Christmas break came and went, which made not seeing each other that much easier. Santana and Bella went back to Lima to visit her parents and she was forced to tell them what had happened with Brittany.

Maribel and Emilio were upset that things had turned out the way they did, but didn't pressure Santana into trying to work things out with Brittany. They knew better than that.

New Years was uneventful. Santana wanted to give Brittany a midnight kiss and Brittany wanted to give Santana a midnight kiss. Santana's friends saw how down she was and tried to include her in fun activities, but she was struggling to climb out of her emotional slump. Bella noticed something was up and tried talking to Santana about it, but her mother just smiled and promised that she was ok.

At an assembly after winter break, Brittany and Santana were sitting on opposite sides of the gym and caught each other's glances. They locked eyes for what felt like hours, until some students misbehaving caused Santana to break it.

Brittany hated the empty feeling she permanently had. Her Christmas and New Years had been the loneliest ever. Her parents were in Australia or something, following some animal that was thought to be extinct and her sister had stayed on campus for the holidays. For the past seven years, Brittany had always been on tour somewhere and had been at a huge party for both holidays. Her solitude echoed around her big apartment as she curled up on the couch and watched endless Christmas specials on TV.

She wanted so desperately to go and talk to Santana, but she was so scared of the Latina rejecting her again, but part of her was even more terrified of her actually listening and accepting her apology. Could Brittany really _just_ be friends with Santana? Would she be able to sit back and watch as the love of her life grew old with her perfect Bella?

Brittany sighed and leaned back against the mirror in her dance studio. Avoiding Santana had actually very easy. She hated that it had been so easy. All it told her was that Santana didn't want to see her or talk to her. Maybe it was time for Brittany to actually respect the Latina's wishes and give up on any kind of reconciliation.

_And regret another decision?_

Brittany frowned. She didn't want to regret not talking to Santana before they parted for good, if that's what she wanted. She needed to sort things out. She had to, for her own sanity if nothing else.

She made a decision as she stretched and prepared herself for a two-hour training session. She wasn't going to leave school the next day until she had spoken to Santana.

* * *

Brittany was exhausted as she exited the cab outside he apartment building. Her two-hour session of free dance turned into three before she'd even realised it. She pulled her jacket tightly around her and hurried through the open door.

"Thanks, Noddy," she said gratefully, smiling.

"Always a pleasure, Ms. Pierce," Oliver replied. "Stay warm."

"That's the plan," Brittany replied, walking over to her post box and pulling out her mail. She pressed the button for the elevator and waited, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes.

"Mommy!"

Brittany smiled to herself at the insistence of the little girl's voice. Kids were always on a mission.

"Hurry up, Mommy! You promised me hot chocolate!"

Brittany smiled again.

"Isabella, watch your tone. When have I ever broken a promise?"

The smile on Brittany's face froze and her breathing started to increase and her eyes shot open. She would know that voice anytime, anywhere. She kept her head down, staring so hard at her mail that the letters started to swim in front of her eyes.

She must've heard wrong. That little girl hadn't called Santana, _her_ Santana, Mommy? Had she? Maybe Brittany was suffering from exhaustion and hallucinating. That must be it.

"Sorry, Mama," Brittany heard the little girl say meekly.

"Come here, baby girl," Santana said and it sounded like she was picking her up. "Apology accepted. Although I think you're on dish duty tonight to make it up to me."

"But I already said sorry!" the little girl whined.

"No matter," Santana replied. "You always make me do something for you when I do something wrong. An apology is never enough for you."

Brittany heard a giggle from the little girl and she squeezed her eyes closed. It was like a younger version of Santana's giggle. This was really happening. Santana had a daughter. How the _hell_ had Santana had a daughter without her knowing? Was she married? Or did she have a daughter with Bella? They'd never even spoken about kids when they'd been together. She didn't even think that Santana had wanted kids.

Brittany's eyes lifted as Santana stepped in front of the elevator and she froze when she saw Brittany. The blonde's eyes met her dark ones filled with surprise and drifted slowly to the little girl in Santana's arms. Brittany took a sharp breath in. She felt like she was in a time warp and looking at Santana when she'd first met her during arts and crafts in first grade. She was the spitting image of Santana.

Brittany's eyes went back to Santana's, who was now looking exceptionally uncomfortable. The lift opened with a bing and Brittany gave Santana a resigned look before stepping inside. Santana was a mom. She had a daughter. Brittany realised how much of her ex-girlfriend's life she'd actually missed. How old was she? Who was her father? She shook her head and leaned against the back of the elevator.

"Mommy, the lift's waiting," the little girl informed Santana.

"Uh, that's ok, baby girl. We'll wait for the next one," Brittany heard Santana say with a shaky voice. "I should check the mail."

"We did that when we came home from school," the little girl reminded her.

Brittany let a small smile cross her face. Innocent logic never failed. She'd won many an argument with Santana because her logic was faultless. She held the door open and waited for mother and daughter. She didn't have to wait long. Santana stepped into the lift, her eyes downcast.

"Hi!"

Brittany looked at mini-Santana and couldn't help but smile. "Hi."

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you before."

"_Mija_," Santana warned, before saying something else in Spanish.

"What?" Brittany asked curiously.

"I'm being nosy," mini-Santana admitted apologetically.

"No, not at all," Brittany smiled. "I am sort of new. I've lived here since fall."

"Do you like it?" mini-Santana fired off.

Brittany looked at Santana until the Latina's dark orbs met hers. "I'm not too sure yet," she said honestly. "I want to, but I keep on feeling like I'm unwelcome."

Santana's eyes narrowed slightly and she sent clear message to Brittany: Stop it.

"That sucks," mini-Santana sympathised.

"Yeah, it does," Brittany agreed, still holding onto Santana's gaze. "I really do want to like it here."

"What's your name?" mini-Santana asked.

The doors opened and Santana stepped out.

"I'm Brittany."

"Hi, Brittany. I'm Bella," the little girl said, smiling and waving. "Bye!"

Brittany's mouth dropped on the floor as she watched Santana and _Bella_ walk away from the lift. The doors closed and Brittany slid to the floor. Bella. Bella. _Bella._ She was Santana's _daughter_. Her frigging DAUGHTER!

Brittany let out a small laugh of disbelief. For months, she'd convinced herself that Santana was hopelessly in love with a mystery woman and that mystery woman turns out to be her daughter.

"Idiot of the year award," Brittany muttered with a smile, as the elevator opened on her floor.

This changed everything.

* * *

Santana was freaking out the next day at school. It had finally happened. Brittany had finally met Bella. It was nowhere near how she wanted the introduction to go down, but once her daughter started talking, it was difficult to get her to back down.

The look on Brittany's face had perplexed Santana. When she'd first seen her, Brittany had given her a look of defeat. It made no sense. What had she lost? It wasn't like she'd had Santana or anything for her to lose.

_Bullshit_.

_Shut up_.

Santana sat in her classroom and fidgeted as she waited for her class to finish their tests. There was a knock on her door and Santana sat up quickly, knocking her leg on her desk and hissing in pain. Some of the students closer to the front looked up and eyed her in confusion.

A student walked in and handed her a note. She opened it and frowned. DC wanted her to meet in the dance studio after school. The dance studio. _Brittany's_ dance studio. Santana took a deep breath and started to massage her temples. This didn't sound like it was going to go well. What if Brittany cornered her and started asking questions? What if she didn't answer them? What if she did? What did even matter? Argh! Brittany didn't want her.

Santana shook her head and looked up to see some of her students filtering to the front to hand in their tests.

* * *

To say that Santana was nervous when the final bell rang would be an understatement. A _huge_ understatement. She checked her make up and hair five times (why?) and suddenly wished that she could get hold of some tequila. She so desperately needed liquid courage. Her usual courage had vanished and was being rapidly replaced with panic.

_You are Santana motherfucking Lopez. Pull your shit together, for Christ's sake!_

Santana took a deep breath and stood up, smoothing down her skirt and making her slow journey to the dance studio. She peered inside. It was pretty impressive. It had a similar look of the studio that Brittany had worked at before she'd left.

"Hey."

The voice was soft, but Santana's heart picked up. She looked to her left and saw Brittany sitting on a stack of mats with a folder.

"Um, I got a message or something," Santana mumbled.

_Real smooth, Lopez_.

Brittany smiled and Santana felt her knees go a little weak. How she had missed that smile. It transformed the entire feeling of the room.

"Yeah, I had an idea last night and I wanted to run it by DC and a few of the teachers."

"Oh," Santana said, trying to hide the disappointment.

_Really? Now you're disappointed that she didn't want to just speak to you? You're pathetic._

"I know," Santana whispered to herself.

"What?" Brittany asked, looking up from her folder.

"Nothing."

"Ok," Brittany said, sending Santana a look that she knew meant she didn't believe her.

The whole exchange felt kind of surreal. They were acting like two work colleagues who just happened to know everything about each other. Well, everything up until almost eight years ago. It was like Brittany had completely let go of any awkwardness she'd been holding onto. Ok, maybe she was just trying to be normal work colleagues. Santana could do that. Brittany was reaching out. The Latina smiled to herself as she walked around the studio. Maybe, just maybe she might want to reach with her.

About ten minutes later, Santana was seated against the wall with a few other teachers: Mrs. Spencer, the music teacher, Mr. Griffin, the drama teacher (and relative of the school's namesake, or so he claimed), Mr. Fuller, the English Head of Department and Ms. Ridge, one of the art teachers.

"Hi, everyone," Brittany said clearly. Santana was surprised an impressed at the strength of her voice. She'd always hated public speaking, but then again, it had been eight years…

"Thanks for taking time out of your day to meet me here. I know you guys have a lot of commitments, so thanks…again." She grinned and Santana felt a small smile play on her face.

"I've been at Griffin Hill for almost three months and I'm loving everything about the school and all it has to offer, but I think there might be something missing, and I thought that you, considering your respective fields, could tell me if this idea that I have is crazy or not.

"When it comes to the arts, I'm very passionate," Brittany continued. "I've danced pretty much since I could walk and when I was in high school, I was in Glee Club and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life." Santana met her eyes and gave her an encouraging smile before she could stop her body's automatic reaction.

"I propose that we put on a musical," Brittany announced.

Santana nodded in agreement. She had been hoping to suggest something along the lines of a musical or even starting Griffin Hill's own glee club, but she wanted to get her portfolio within the English department completely sorted out before she undertook any other responsibilities.

"By the looks on your faces, I'm guessing that you think this is a good idea?" Brittany asked hesitantly. Everyone nodded and she smiled. "Ok, here's the difficult part, though. I'd like the musical to be original."

Santana frowned. An original musical? For an inaugural performance at a high school that had no history of doing anything like a musical? Granted, that was partly why Santana had wanted to get involved with the arts. A private school with a history of snobbery would have plenty of people that would thrive in a glee club. Look at what New Directions had done for her.

"I know the idea is daunting," Brittany continued, bringing Santana's attention back to the dancer. "I was thinking that we could get a few kids to write a script with Mr. Fuller and maybe Mrs. Spencer could help with writing songs and maybe a score once we know what the musical would be about. Ms. Ridge could work on sets and costumes and Mr. Griffin could help with the acting. I'd choreograph. Santana."

Santana blinked as Brittany addressed her. Blue eyes bore into her soul and her breath caught in her throat. God, she missed having Brittany look at her like that. Wait, she was saying something.

"Sorry, what?" she asked, her voice a little croaky.

Brittany's eyes flashed with something akin to triumph and it didn't go unnoticed by Santana. The dancer knew exactly the effect she was having on the Latina.

"Santana, I'd like you to be the director."

"Me?" she squeaked.

"Yeah, you know the power that music can have and you sing really well and I think you'd be able to get the students interested in this. Plus you're super organised and stuff."

Santana flushed with pride. Brittany really thought all of those things about her?

"Santana sings?" Mrs. Spencer asked.

"A little," Santana mumbled.

"Nah, she's amazing. She has, like, the best voice I've ever heard."

"Do you two know each other?" Mr. Griffin asked curiously.

"We went to high school together," Brittany said simply, sending a look to Santana that said so much more than going to the same high school. "We were in Glee Club together too."

"Fantastic. Seems like we already have a good foundation," DC said. "Santana, you in?"

Santana blinked twice. It seemed like life was happening around her and she was just standing on the sideline watching as it passed by, powerless to stop it. "Um, yeah, I guess?"

"Yay!" Brittany clapped her hands together and jumped up a little. Santana couldn't fight the smile breaking onto he face at the look of pure joy on the dancer's face. She used to give herself a mental pat on the back every time she'd been the one to cause that look and she had to restrain herself from doing that very thing at that moment.

Everyone was getting up to leave after agreeing to have another meeting during lunch the next day.

"San?"

Santana had headed for the door almost immediately, knowing that Brittany would try and get her to stay afterwards. "Yup?"

"Could you hang back a bit? I'd like to run some things by you."

_Crap. Shit._

"Um, I actually really have to get back to grading some tests."

_Wow, you are really becoming the expert at shitty excuses._

"Oh, ok."

Santana hated the disappointment that she could hear in Brittany's voice. She'd gone through so much effort to come up with this idea and recruit the faculty members. She fought with her head and figured that she at least owed it to Brittany to try and give a working relationship between them a try. But just a working relationship. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

Sure, this musical would mean that they'd have to spend a lot of time together, which could be good or bad, depending on how Santana looked at it, but she was determined to keep conversations with them on point.

"Um, sorry," Santana apologised. "How about we meet tomorrow before school?" She hoped that the suggestion came across as casual instead of the eagerness she felt at the thought.

_NO! It's a work-related meeting. It's not a date or a hang out session. It's work. WORK, Santana!_

"Yeah, ok." Brittany's smile was back and Santana nodded, turning around and walking out of the dance studio before the blonde's infectious smile took hold of her and turned her attempt at a serious face into a gooey pile of mush.

* * *

**A/N: People have asked if they're just going to get back together – considering how I dragged out them finally meeting, do you **_**really**_** think I'm going to make their relationship any easier? :)**

**Feedback is loved :) New chapter already in the works.**

**-H**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey guys. Apologies – my internet decided to go AWOL on me yesterday so I couldn't upload! :( But here for your perusal is the newest chapter :)** **And WOW! Over 50 reviews for the last two chapters! You guys are SO awesome :D Thank you SO much for all your support and kind words :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 17**

Santana and Bella were out to dinner with their New York family and the evening was winding down. Santana glanced at her watch.

"We need to get you home, _mija_," she said to her daughter.

"But it's still early!" Bella pleaded.

"We've got an early morning tomorrow, baby. I have a meeting before school."

Santana chuckled at Bella's pout.

"I don't mind taking her to school," Kurt offered. "What meeting do you have?"

"Um, just a new project," Santana replied vaguely. "Thanks, Kurt. I'd appreciate it. Bella gets cranky if she doesn't get her extra half hour sleep."

"I do not!" Bella protested. "You can't even understand Mommy in the morning."

"Oh, we know," Rachel chuckled. "Incoherent mumbling that only she understands."

Santana almost opened her mouth to say that there was one person who understood her morning mumbles, but decided that it was a bad idea. She didn't feel like dealing with her friends', especially Kurt's, over-protective spiel.

"You never answered my question," Kurt reminded her.

_Shit. Why is he always so fucking sharp?_

"Which one, Kurtie?" Santana asked with a wink.

"About your meeting."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you just said that it was about a new project. And you should know by now that all of us are embarrassingly nosy. So, spill."

"Well, we're planning to put on a musical," Santana said softly.

As predicted, Rachel squealed and clapped her hands, Kurt smiled and leaned on his hand as he pictured costumes, Blaine looked at Kurt with a loving smile and Finn gave her a thumbs up. God, she really loved her friends, but they were _so_ predictable.

"Which musical? Do you need a vocal coach? I'm sure I can free up my schedule-"

"Berry, you're not in high school anymore," Santana interrupted, rolling her eyes. "You're my best friend and please don't take this the wrong way, but this musical is in no way your concern."

Rachel sat back, a disappointed frown on her face.

"But in answer to your questions, there are a few teachers that are involved with the vocal training, drama training and choreography." Santana rushed on before her friends asked the question she was dreading. "And I'm directing! Crazy, huh? We're doing an original musical so we're going to write the script and songs ourselves." The last part came out in a little bit of a rush, but from the looks on the faces around her, they weren't fooled.

"Who's choreographing?" Kurt asked.

"Ummm," Santana stalled, "the dance teacher?"

"Which would be Brittany," Rachel clarified.

"I like Brittany," Bella piped up with a smile.

"Hmmm and once upon a time we liked her, too," Kurt mumbled, but loud enough for Bella to catch.

"You don't like Brittany, Kurt? But she's funny and pretty and she smiles really nicely."

Santana had to agree with every point her daughter made.

"Well, she did a few things that hurt people so we're a little mad at her," Kurt tried to explain, giving Santana a warning look.

"She didn't hurt me," Bella replied. "So I think she can still be my friend."

Santana took a sip of her wine to hide the smile on her face.

"So, I take it you two have spoken?" Kurt asked pointedly, crossing his arms.

"Kurt," Blaine said in a low voice. "Santana knows how you feel about Brittany, we all do. But don't you think that she's old enough to make her own decisions about whether or not she wants to be friends with her again?"

Santana smiled warmly at Blaine. Even though a friendship with Brittany was the worst idea ever, it meant a lot that at least _someone_ at the table trusted that she was able to look after herself and deal with the consequences of her actions.

"Blaine, honey, it's not that I don't trust Santana to make her own choices. I'm just here to play devil's advocate. She put herself out there last week and look what happened."

"What happened?" Bella asked, intrigued by the confusing adult conversation going on around her.

"I'll explain everything at home, baby," Santana said, frowning at Kurt and rummaging around in her bag for her purse. "We really should go home now."

Bella heard her mother's tone and knew better than to argue. She took Santana's hand and dutifully slid out of the booth.

Santana sighed in frustration and put some money on the table. She lifted her eyes to meet Kurt's.

"There is a time and a place, Lady," she said in her infamous bitch voice. "I don't appreciate you treating me like I'm a child and I _would_ appreciate it if you kept appropriate topics at the table when my daughter is present."

Kurt just set his jaw and met Santana's gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him before walking out of the restaurant with Bella in tow.

* * *

"Mommy?" Bella asked timidly as she climbed into bed. She hadn't said anything since they'd left the restaurant. She could tell that her mom was in a bad mood and she didn't want to be shouted at.

"Yes, baby?" Santana asked, taking in her daughter's expression for the first time since she'd gone off at Kurt. She immediately felt like the worst mom ever. "Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry." She held out her arms and her daughter fell into them gratefully. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to be so mad. I promise I'm not mad at you."

"Ok," Bella said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I thought that I was being nosy again."

Santana sat on the floor of Bella's bedroom, leaning against Bella's bed with her little girl in her arms.

"You know you can ask me anything, baby, and I'll do my best to explain it to you." She paused. "But there are some things that I think you might be too young to understand yet and I don't want you to experience that frustration. You're still the smartest girl I know, but you're still only six."

"I'm almost seven!" Bella said eagerly, as if that might help her case.

Santana smiled and ran her finger over Bella's forehead. "I know. You're growing up so fast. One day I'm going to blink and you're going to be graduating."

"Don't be silly, Mama. That's still ages away. I have to go to high school first."

"Yeah." Santana bumped her finger against Bella's nose. "So let me hold onto my little girl for a bit longer, ok? I know you love me and you worry about me, but there are some things from my past that I don't think you need to deal with."

"Ok," Bella said slowly. "This is about Brittany, though."

Santana nodded.

"Do you know her, Mama?"

Santana sighed. How much was too much? Her daughter was incredibly perceptive and maybe that was her fault for letting her hang around adults so much and not more around kids her own age.

"She's the one from high school."

"Oh," Bella said, her eyes wide. "But she hurt you?" Her brow furrowed.

Santana nodded. "We both hurt each other. Kurt and Rachel are just protective because they think that she was more wrong than me."

"Was she?"

Santana rolled her eyes. She should never have started this conversation, but the look that Bella gave her encouraged her to continue.

"I don't think so. I think we were both equally responsible for hurting each other."

"Did you say sorry?"

Santana blinked. "Um, I haven't. I…Bella, this is kinda the part that I don't think you're going to understand." She tilted her head. "Mostly because I don't really understand it myself."

"Do you still love her?"

Santana sighed. "Unfortunately, I think I do."

"Love isn't bad, Mommy. It makes the world go round."

Santana couldn't help smiling at her daughter's ability to see the silver lining on every cloud. A trait that a certain blonde dancer possessed. Santana suddenly realised that Bella and Brittany were scarily alike. Was that her fault? Had she subconsciously raised Bella to be like Brittany because she'd lost the original?

"Where'd you go?" Bella asked, her hands on both of Santana's cheeks and her eyes boring into her mom's.

"Trip down memory lane," Santana replied. She made a motion of going to bite Bella's nose off and she yelped. She wiggled out of Santana's arms and into her bed. Santana knelt next to her daughter and tucked her in.

"What are you in the mood for tonight, baby?"

Bella looked up the roof as if the star-studded ceiling would give her the answer. "Could you tell me a story from Glee Club?" she asked sheepishly, pulling the covers over her mouth.

Santana shook her head with a smile. "You want to hear one about me and Brittany, don't you?"

Bella nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok," Santana conceded, getting herself comfortable. "Hmmm, which one should I tell you? Ah! You remember that I was a cheerleader, right?"

"A Cheerio!" Bella exclaimed with a grin.

"Yup. Well, Brittany was a cheerleader too. Evil Coach Sue decided that she wanted to do something crazy to win our Regionals competition so she bought a huge cannon…"

* * *

Brittany lay back on her couch and stretched. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was almost midnight. She'd been trying to organise the schedule for auditions and rehearsals for the musical, but it was difficult to find times and days where both her and Santana could be there.

She smiled at the progress she seemed to have made. Santana had actually spoken to her and even smiled. And she'd caught her in a daydream too. That little fumble had given Brittany a lot of hope.

She wasn't going to mess things up this time. She wasn't going to press Santana for anything other than a professional relationship. With her as the director and Brittany as the choreographer, they were bound to spend a lot of time together and the dancer couldn't wait to remind Santana, in very subtle ways of course, how perfect they were for each other.

Yes, they'd both made mistakes and so much had changed. Like Santana having a daughter. Brittany was still having a problem trying to wrap around that little fact. She was dying to fire so many questions at the Latina, but she didn't want to risk what little progress they had made.

Brittany wasn't shy to admit to herself that she'd had the idea for a musical rolling around in her head for a while, but she'd decided to suggest it to DC and the other teachers purely as an excuse to spend more time with Santana. She may not know the Santana of now as well as she knew the Santana of eight years ago, but she _did_ know that the Latina loved music and performing. That was something that would never leave her, just like Brittany and her dancing.

She missed seeing Santana singing and dancing on stage with her. This was a way to get some of that back too.

A yawn escaped Brittany's mouth and she decided to call it a night. She had a very important meeting the following morning. With a smile, Brittany walked into her bedroom and flopped face first onto her bed.

* * *

Santana sipped her coffee and read through her ideas again. She grimaced. They'd sounded ok when she'd brainstormed last night, but now they just sounded beyond lame. She'd never directed anything before and she'd only ever been in _West Side Story_, other than normal Glee performances. She was starting to wonder if Brittany had made the right choice in her being in charge.

"Hi, San!" Brittany bounded into the faculty lounge and sat down on the other side of the small table Santana had propagated for their meeting.

"Morning," Santana said formally, even though her heart immediately started increasing its pace and her stomach did that really annoying pull thing.

"Cheer up, it's a beautiful day!" Brittany said with a smile.

Santana allowed a small smile and took another sip of coffee. It was hard not to get sucked in with Brittany's seemingly never-ending energy, but she had to remind herself to stay on point. They were _not_ here to try on work on their relationship or friendship or whatever the hell they were. They were here to work on the musical for the school. That's it.

_Keep singing that song, Lopez_.

Santana frowned. Her conscience was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Everything ok?" Brittany asked in concern.

Santana nodded. "Still kinda waking up."

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to make you get up extra early. I mean, you probably have a lot of extra stuff to do in the mornings cos you have a-a daughter and stuff."

Santana blinked. She didn't think she'd actually heard Brittany nervous before. Definitely not towards her.

"It's fine," she said softly. "I suggested this meeting, remember?"

"Ok," Brittany said with an uncertain smile. "So I worked on a possible schedule for everything and I'd like you to take a look at it."

They spent the next twenty minutes corresponding potential audition and rehearsal times with their own schedules and the availability of the auditorium.

"Hey, San?" Brittany suddenly asked.

"Yup?"

"You're an English teacher."

Santana waited for the rest of Brittany's sentence, but sometimes she needed a little reminder to finish it. Her mind always flitted to different things so quickly. "I am."

"So your students write a lot, don't they?"

"All the students write, Brittany." Santana wasn't sure where this line of questioning was headed.

"But your students do creative stuff. Like with their brains, right? And their imagination?"

"Yeah." Santana had to smile to herself. If any other teacher had been privy to their conversation, they would've probably thought Brittany was a completely incoherent airhead. The thought of people thinking that still set fire to the pit of Santana's stomach, but the idea that she could still understand Brittany caused her gut to do that worrying pull thing again. Santana cleared her throat quietly and pushed the feeling away.

"I think you should pick some students that you think would do a good job of writing the script. You know, with you."

"But what about Fuller? Didn't you ask him to work with students on the script?"

Brittany leaned forward. "I don't think he wants to. He didn't look too interested yesterday. I think he just went along with it because everyone else seemed into the idea."

"But then you should talk to him. Don't just go over his head. Maybe he didn't understand what you wanted him to do."

Brittany frowned. "I like your writing though," she murmured.

"What?" Santana blinked in surprise.

"You were always writing in high school and I know you didn't want anyone to know, that's why you only let me read it."

Santana let out a small laugh. "That's only because you wouldn't stop pestering me about it. And doing that damn pout."

Their eyes met suddenly and Santana's mouth went dry.

_Crap. Shit. CRAP! This was NOT supposed to happen! No fucking trips down memory lane, Lopez! What in the hell is wrong with you?_

Santana cleared her throat. "Anyway, that was high school. I haven't written anything in years. And I thought this was supposed to be about the kids stepping up and discovering some hidden talents."

"I know," Brittany said, sounding a little defeated. "I keep imagining that we're going to find a Mercedes Jones or Mike Chang or maybe even a Rachel Berry in the halls of this school."

Santana smiled. "I don't think the world needs another Rachel Berry. I'm pretty sure the original would get a copyright law or something passed to prevent it."

Brittany sat back and laughed. It resonated right through Santana and she took a deep breath. This was _not_ going at all according to her plan. Why was it so damn difficult to stay on topic? And why was it so damn easy to drift _off_ topic? Talking to Brittany had always been the easiest thing in the world for Santana. Even with almost eight years of nothing, they were able to slip back into their old routine.

It scared the shit out of Santana.

* * *

Brittany frowned as she looked though Santana's ideas, her pen sticking out of her mouth.

"They're probably not very good," Santana ventured for the tenth time.

Brittany raised her eyes and arched an eyebrow at the Latina, sending her a look that told her in no uncertain terms to shut up and let her read without constant interruptions.

"Right," Santana muttered. "Shutting up. I'm gonna get more coffee. Do you…never mind."

She walked away from the table and Brittany couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face. As weird as their whole meeting had been, she was ecstatic that she was actually sitting across the table from Santana Lopez and neither of them were crying or yelling or threatening. Granted, they weren't tearing each other's clothes off either, but Brittany considered that to be the super jackpot. If it ever happened.

Brittany definitely hadn't expected how easy the conversation would be with Santana. After everything that had happened, _especially_ the debacle of last Friday night, she'd prepared herself for one word, clipped answers and barely any eye contact. But they'd joked around, reminisced and had a normal honest-to-God conversation.

Brittany hoped so much that this was a sign of things to come.

"Ok, you've been reading the same page for like five minutes," Santana said, dropping back into her chair. "You must have _some_ feedback."

Brittany grinned and eyed the Latina. "Are you nervous, Santana?"

"No."

_Of course she was_.

Brittany chuckled. "Don't stress yourself out. These ideas are…ok. They're not great, but it's definitely a start."

"Geez, way to soften the blow," Santana muttered, sinking in her chair.

"Oh, come on. After everything you dished out during high school, you can't take a little criticism?" Brittany teased.

Santana glared at her but didn't say anything.

"Look, San, I remember the stuff you used to write and _that_ was good. This seems like you're trying to play it safe. When have you ever done that?"

Santana looked down and fiddled with the mug in her hands.

"Don't do that," she said softly, almost too softly for Brittany to hear.

"Don't do what?" she queried.

Santana's eyes shot up. Brittany suspected she hadn't meant for her to hear that.

Santana sighed. "You can't pretend that you know who I am anymore, Brittany. I'm not who I was eight years ago. Yes, there are some things about me that are still the same, but I've changed more than it may seem. So please don't assume that you still know me like you used to."

Brittany blinked in surprise and could only watch speechlessly as Santana stood up with her bag and coffee and walked out of the faculty lounge.

* * *

**A/N: Lucky for you, due to no internet yesterday, I wrote the next chapter too…and the next chapter :) Contemplating whether or not I should leave you guys hanging ;) Let me know how much you want me to post the next two chapters :p**

**And yes, this is shameless attention seeking ;)**

**-H**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: The readers have spoken! But, really, as if I would've left you guys hanging ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 18**

It was movie night for Santana and Bella. Whilst her daughter was perusing around the store, Santana allowed her mind to go over that morning with Brittany. Had she overreacted? Brittany had avoided her the whole day, not making eye contact once with her during their lunchtime meeting with the other teachers.

She'd laughed and joked around with Fuller and Ellie Ridge, the art teacher, but Santana had just sat to the side listening to everyone's ideas. Fuller, as it turned out, was actually interested in the musical, but he confessed that he didn't know much about writing. He was just an English teacher. Brittany had brushed it off, saying that it didn't matter. If he was keen to facilitate it, she'd help him.

Santana had tried her best not to let Brittany see how the way Fuller smiled at her affected her. She had _no_ claim to the dancer, although the fire in her chest had tried to tell her otherwise. She'd left pretty quickly after that.

"Mama?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"Where'd you go?"

Santana sighed. Nothing got past her daughter. "Just thinking about my day, baby."

"Are you back now?"

Santana dropped to Bella's height and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled. "For as long as you want me."

"Forever!" Bella yelled, throwing her arms around Santana's neck and squeezing.

"Ssshhh," Santana whispered conspiratorially. "The movie fairies aren't gonna let us back here if we make so much noise."

"Sorry," Bella whispered back. "Do we need to be like ninja fairies now?"

"I think we should, just in case," Santana whispered back. "Have you chosen your movies?"

Bella nodded. "I'll show you."

The two took exaggerated quiet steps as they tiptoed towards the kids section, Santana still crouched behind her daughter.

"Phew, I think we were undetected," Santana whispered, winking at her daughter.

Bella smiled and looked past Santana and shook her head. "Someone saw us. Quick! Pretend you're invisible!"

Santana frowned in confusion and looked behind her, immediately wishing she'd taken her daughter's advice and become invisible.

"Hey."

Santana straightened up and her eyes met Brittany's. "Hey."

Santana felt a tug behind her. Bella was hiding behind her legs. She knelt down again as Bella whispered in her ear, "Is she the movie fairy police?"

"I don't think so," Santana whispered back.

"Ask her," Bella insisted.

"You know her, baby. You can ask her."

Bella peered at Brittany again and recognition hit her as a huge smile crossed her face. "Brittany!"

She clamped her hands over her mouth as the loud word escaped and she looked fearfully from Santana to Brittany. The latter just looked confused at the bizarre exchange in front of her.

"_Mija_, grab your movies," Santana suggested, thinking that the role-playing was getting a little too dramatic for public consumption. At home, they were free to be as crazy as they wanted.

Santana stood up with a sigh and watched Bella pick her two movies and hand them to her mother. She groaned inwardly.

"Bella, really? You've seen _The Muppets Christmas Carol_ about three times this month already."

"But it's January," Bella replied, as if that explained everything.

There were some things that even Santana didn't understand about her daughter.

"I get it," Brittany said quietly.

"You do?" Santana and Bella asked together.

"Yeah, there's a rule that says you can watch a Christmas movie as many times as you want in January because there's no time limit like in December cos you can only watch Christmas movies up until Christmas Day. But January is special cos you can watch all the Christmas movies you want until February. You're not allowed to watch Christmas movies in February cos of Valentine's Day."

Santana's mouth dropped open, but she had to concede that it made sense, in a very Brittany way.

"See, Mommy," Bella said matter-of-factly.

"_Si, carino_," Santana said with a resigned sigh. "Ok, what other movie do you have there?"

"_Babe_," Bella said proudly.

Santana glanced at Brittany and saw her look down. _Babe_ had made the blonde cry every time they'd watched it and seeing Brittany cry only made Santana cry. She looked down at her daughter. "Hope you've got your tissue box ready for this one."

"Is it sad?" Bella asked, her eyes wide.

"Super sad," Brittany answered softly. "But also super awesome and happy."

"You've seen it?"

Brittany's eyes met Santana's. "A few times when I was younger."

"Don't you wanna watch it again?" Bella asked enthusiastically. "You should come watch it with us! Right, Mama?"

"Uh…" Santana was rendered speechless. This was absolutely breaking all her rules.

"No, that's ok. I've got some movies of my own to watch. But thanks, Bella."

"Oh," Bella said, disappointed. Santana's heart lurched. She sounded just like Brittany when she was disappointed or sad. She squeezed her eyes once, hoping to heaven and hell that this wasn't going to come back and bite her in the ass. She could always use the excuse that he could never refuse her daughter.

_Pussy._

"Watch them some other time," she said quietly.

Brittany's eyes flew up in surprise. Her brow furrowed and she tilted her head. Santana nodded once and shrugged slightly. Bella watched the silent conversation with great interest.

"We'll need some more popcorn, baby. Why don't you get some?"

"Can I get the chocolate covered packet?" Bella asked, her eyes glinting mischievously.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Fine. But only juice and water tonight, then."

"Fine," Bella agreed, rolling her eyes in an exact replica of her mother and ran off.

Santana turned to Brittany who was looking at her with a confused expression. "What did you choose?" she asked.

Brittany immediately blushed and shyly held up the two boxes in her hand. Santana smiled. Of course Brittany would choose a Disney movie and _Beauty and the Beast_ was one of her favourites. She frowned at the other.

"_High School Musical_? But you've seen this like a hundred times. You know _all_ the words."

"Yeah, but I'm gonna watch it from a choreographer's perspective. We have so many dancers and I need to find a way to fit them all on the stage without them bumping into each other."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Santana said. "But we'll get that too. I actually don't think Bella's seen it." She looked up as she thought. "Not sure how that's possible, actually."

Bella bounded back, out of breath and holding her packet of chocolate popcorn proudly.

"Have you seen this one, baby?" Santana asked, holding up the box.

She shook her head. "What is it?"

"It's awesome!" Brittany cut in before Santana could answer. She watched as Brittany spewed out virtually the whole storyline in two minutes and smiled as her daughter's eyes got bigger and bigger. Towards the end she started clapping her hands and bouncing a little on the balls of her feet.

"Mommy, it sounds so amazing. Please can we watch it? Please?"

Santana pretended to consider and made the mistake of looking at Brittany and Bella's matching puppy dog eyes, complete with pouts.

"Ok, that is so not fair. You can't both use that look. Totally not fair," she mumbled, holding her hand out to Brittany for the movie.

Brittany's face broke into a huge smile and she clapped her hands excitedly as Santana went to pay for the movies.

* * *

The trio walked back to their apartment building, Santana walking slightly behind Bella and Brittany. The two had not stopped talking since the video store.

Santana wondered for the thousandth time how in the hell she'd ended up spending movie night with her daughter and surprise guest, Brittany S. Pierce. Oh right, she was a sucker for either of them being sad or disappointed. The weirdest thing was how Brittany and Bella were acting like they'd known each other all their lives. In what universe would Santana have ever believed that she'd be watching them harp on about Pokemon and pond fairies on the way back to _her_ apartment for movie night?

The chances of Bella and Brittany meeting again were obviously higher than usual, especially since Bella had commented about her a few times since she'd met her in the elevator, and Bella always followed up on interesting people she'd met. Then Santana had mentioned that she and Brittany were going to be working on the musical together, so _she'd_ be spending more time with the dancer and, by extension, so would Bella on the odd occasion.

Santana stepped ahead of the two chatterboxes and opened the door to their building because it wouldn't be the first time that either of them would have walked into a door because they were so engrossed in whatever it was they were doing.

"Hi, Noddy!" Brittany and Bella said in unison.

Santana stopped and turned around, staring at disbelief at her daughter and her…at Brittany. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

_What are the odds that both of them have the same nickname for the doorman after only having met twice?_

"This is so weird," she muttered, continuing to the elevator.

Any hopes of their talking ceasing once they reached the apartment was pointless. They were both like Energizer bunnies. Santana had lost count of the number of topics they'd covered. It was really starting to scare her a little how much Bella was like Brittany.

Santana dropped the movies onto the coffee table and walked into the kitchen to get started on the popcorn. Bella and Brittany were sitting on the couch, debating which of the Powerpuff Girls was the coolest.

"We all know that Buttercup is the coolest," Santana called as she perused the fridge for a bottle of wine. "She doesn't take any nonsense."

Choosing a bottle of sweet white wine, Santana walked to the island and looked up to see Brittany and Bella doing a twin eye roll.

"So predictable," Brittany sighed.

"Excuse me?" Santana asked with a smirk, leaning down to get a wine glass.

"Britt's right," Bella said, matter-of-factly. "You would choose Buttercup cos she has the baddest attitude."

"Worst attitude," Santana automatically corrected her daughter, pouring herself a glass of wine. She smiled at how her correction actually made less sense.

Brittany scrunched up her face. "That sounds more wrong."

"I like my way better," Bella said, not fazed.

Santana smiled and shook her head. "Ok, time for the movie, I think. Bella, which do you want to watch first?"

"_High School Musical_!" Bella yelled and Brittany giggled and clapped her hands in agreement.

Santana walked into the living room and put the movie in. The screen flashed on and the menu popped up. Santana pushed play and walked back to the kitchen to get the wine and popcorn. She poured a glass of juice for Bella and took it to her.

Brittany's eyes were glued to the screen and Santana had to smile. Her feet were twitching and the Latina saw the telltale sign that she was dying to get up and dance. She put the juice in front of her daughter, who was similarly engrossed.

"Want some wine?" she murmured to Brittany.

Brittany nodded, her eyes not leaving the screen. Santana smiled and walked back to the kitchen. Some things hadn't changed. Brittany had always gotten so involved with movies. The only was Santana had been able to distract her was with-

_Whoa. Where in the _hell_ did that thought come from?_

Santana flushed and opened the fridge to get the wine out. She poured another glass and took a swig out of the bottle for good measure. She walked with both glasses back to the living room.

"I don't like her," Bella stated, pointing at Sharpay.

"Me neither," Brittany agreed, grabbing a handful of popcorn and nibbling each piece. Santana's gut did the pulling thing again. Brittany nibbled every piece of popcorn. She never took a mouthful because she got to taste each piece of popcorn equally and the other pieces wouldn't feel less appreciated. Santana groaned inwardly. She knew this had been a bad idea. She set down the wine glasses and sat in the only available spot in the couch – next to Brittany.

She watched the movie in silence, listening to Brittany and her daughter dissect everything about the movie. She smiled a lot behind her wine glass. When the movie ended, Bella demanded that they watch it again, but they all needed to song and dance. Santana sighed and moved the coffee table against the wall to create a big space in front of the TV. Brittany was immediately up and stretching. Santana let out a chuckle and went to grab two bottles of water from the fridge. Bella would definitely need it and if Brittany was an unchanged as she seemed to be, she'd need it too. They pushed play and skipped to all the songs. Brittany was in her element, knowing pretty much all the choreography from watching it so many times. Bella tried her best to emulate the blonde dancer, and she didn't actually do a bad job. When she skipped a beat, she huffed and a determined line crossed her face. Brittany always paused the movie and took her step-by-step through the dances until Bella had it. Before she knew it, Santana glanced at the clock and saw that it was after nine.

"_Mija_! Bed time!"

Bella stopped dancing and looked up at the clock and pouted. "Come on, Mama. Just one more time. Please?"

"Baby, you're gonna be exhausted tomorrow if you don't get some sleep."

"So…let me be sick?" Bella suggested innocently, but Santana caught the mischievous glint in her eye.

"I will do no such thing. Nice try, missy. PJs. Now."

Santana held firm, even against the double pout that was being sent her way. She congratulated herself. As Bella was getting ready for bed, Santana started clearing the glasses and plates away. Brittany flopped onto the couch and closed her eyes. Santana walked into the kitchen and started washing up.

"Hey."

Santana jumped in fright at the soft voice that sounded very close, dropping the plate she had into the water and splashing herself. She hadn't even heard Brittany come into the kitchen.

"You scared me," Santana said, clearing her throat quietly.

"I gathered."

Santana quickly brushed the water off her top and resumed doing the dishes. As uncomfortable as it should've felt with Brittany a few inches away from her, leaning against the counter, just watching her, Santana felt strangely calm. Was it because she was getting used to being around Brittany again? Maybe. Maybe it was the wine? Yeah, maybe the wine.

"You've done a great job with her, San," Brittany murmured. "She's amazing."

Santana smiled genuinely. She'd take any praise that had to do with Bella. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry about this morning," Brittany said after a while.

Santana paused momentarily. She had to be careful about how this came out. "It's fine. We just need to remember that this is about work and nothing else."

"What?"

Santana almost winced at the hurt in Brittany's voice, but after everything that they had _both_ been through, anything other than a professional relationship would just spell disaster. She wasn't ready to go back to how things were, regardless of how she felt about Brittany. She also had Bella to think about now.

_Cop out_.

Santana closed her eyes and took a breath.

"I should go," Brittany said abruptly. "Thanks for the wine and the movie. See you tomorrow."

"Bye," Santana said, not moving. She hated herself for deliberately creating tension, but she was protecting herself. At least, that's what she told herself. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the terror of how comfortable and familiar it had been hanging out with Brittany all evening.

_Still singing that song, huh, Lopez?_

She finished up the dishes and was drying her hands when Bella came into the kitchen in her pyjamas, already looking sleepy.

"Where's Britt?"

"She went home, baby. She's also got work tomorrow." Santana knelt down and ran her fingers through Bella's hair. "Did you have fun tonight?"

She smiled sleepily. "Yeah. Britt's super fun. We should invite her for every movie night."

"Uh, we'll see. She might be busy. But right now, you need to get into bed."

They walked to Bella's bedroom and Santana tucked her in. "Song or book tonight?"

"Song," Bella said, tucking the covers underneath her chin. "From the movie."

Crap. Santana wished she'd paid more attention to the movie now. She couldn't remember any of the songs. She hummed a little to herself as her memories organised themselves.

"Ah, got it," she said finally. She sang softly and watched as Bella fell into a deep sleep.

About half an hour later, Santana looked up from her laptop when a soft knock sounded at her door. She sighed and stood up. She put her hand on the knob and paused. She already knew who was on the other side of the door and was fairly certain about the purpose of the blonde's visit.

Would she be able to stick to her guns? Or would her emotions rule her? Santana shook her head and opened the door. Playing the 'what if' game would get her nowhere.

"Can I come in?" Brittany asked timidly, her eyes sad.

* * *

**A/N: THIS, Irish, is a cliffhanger ;)**

**Love me some reviews :)**

**-H**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Bring on the angst! Team Santana vs Team Brittany revival perhaps? ;p**

**Oh, and much love for all the love :) You guys totally gave me warm fuzzies :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 19**

_Almost eight years before…_

_Brittany closed the door behind her and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. This couldn't be happening. She was going to wake up from some terrible dream and Santana would be lying next to her, being beautiful and sexy and not sad or angry._

_Her chest hurt so much. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to cry, it hurt to move, but Brittany could barely even focus on anything other than Santana's last words to her._

"And where would you be without me, Brittany? Back in Bumfuck, Ohio, hooking up with anyone willing to spread their legs."

_She didn't mean it. Surely she didn't really believe that about Brittany? They had been completely faithful to each other since the end of junior year. Even if they'd been able to, which technically they probably could have, they didn't want to sleep with anyone else. They just wanted each other. Brittany had honestly believed that nothing could ever break them apart._

_And now she'd done what she'd believed impossible. She'd broken them up._

Uh, you had some help in that department.

_Santana was just protecting herself. She didn't mean what she'd said about hating her or calling her a slut. She was just lashing out. Right?_

_Brittany sniffed and a thought entered her head – what if Santana did mean what she'd said? What if that was how she saw Brittany and their relationship? What if she really didn't want Brittany anymore?_

_A sob caught in Brittany's throat and she choked. Her chest hurt a little more at the thought. Santana had told her to go. She'd told her to leave and never come back. Brittany didn't want to, but she always did what Santana said._

_Maybe that was why she was so mad? Brittany had decided to do something that Santana hadn't told her to do and maybe she'd just gotten scared? Brittany sat up. She could fix this. Santana just needed time to calm down and then she'd see that she'd overreacted. Right?_

_Brittany raised her head and looked around her. Where the hell was she supposed to go now? Everything she had was in the apartment behind her, including the love of her life._

_Brittany quietly got onto her knees and pressed her ear against the door. A fresh set of tears leaked down her face at the heartbreaking sound of Santana's uncontrollable crying. It seemed ridiculous that both of them were hurting so much and they couldn't comfort each other. They'd _always_ comforted each other when one of them was sad. They were experts._

_Brittany didn't feel like much of an expert at anything at that moment. In fact, she felt like she was the most useless, hopeless person on the face of the earth. Why had she said all those horrible things to Santana? Where had they even come from? She didn't believe any of that. All she remembered was how much her heart was hurting and how Santana's words were making it hurt more and more and everything that she'd spent her life denying about Santana because she _knew_ who the real Santana was, came bubbling to the surface and she'd let rip. She'd called Santana every name that people in school had called her behind her back, names that had made Santana cry in Brittany's arms many times. And she'd become exactly like those people._

_What had she done? She must've told Santana wrong. It had sounded like a good plan in her head, but she hadn't counted on Santana not wanting her to go on tour._

_Why didn't Santana want her to go? Just because she didn't want Brittany to leave her?_

_Brittany frowned and sat down on the floor again. Santana had told her that she wasn't enough of a reason for Brittany to stay, but she was the _only_ reason that she'd given. Just her. Normally, Brittany would fly to the moon and back a gazillion times for Santana because she really was everything to the blonde._

_But there was something nagging at Brittany. She definitely remembered emphasising what an opportunity this was for her – once in a lifetime. And she wouldn't be gone forever! And with phones and Skype and emails, they could've kept in touch all the time! But Santana hadn't even thought about how they could make it work. She'd gone straight into defence mode and accused Brittany of not loving her enough._

_Brittany shook her head slowly and stood up. Santana was being selfish. She wasn't allowing Brittany even the chance to go after her dream. What kind of relationship would they have if Brittany always bowed down to whatever Santana said? She knew that she wouldn't be able to do that forever and what would that mean? An unhappy relationship, maybe even a break up? Brittany couldn't fathom ever being in a relationship with Santana and not being happy. They had been in the honeymoon phase for over a year and things had been perfect._

Life isn't perfect. And life doesn't wait for you_._

_Brittany needed to do this. She was almost certain that if Santana hadn't jumped to conclusions, they would have been able to make the distance work. That was why she hadn't thought that her going on tour would be a problem! No. Brittany was going to do this. She was going to miss Santana like crazy, having never been away from her for so long, regardless of the fact that they had just broken up._

_Brittany walked slowly down the stairs to the ground floor of their apartment and out into the cool night air. She'd have to wait until Santana left before going back to fetch all her things. She went to a coffee shop close by and sat there for a few hours, drinking hot chocolate. Coffee would just make her more jittery than she already was._

_She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out. Kurt was calling her. She took a deep breath before answering, "Look, Kurt, I know you're probably calling because of Santana, but I've made my decision. She won't support me and I'm done living my life through her. It's time I followed my own dream. I-I'm sorry that it had to come to this, but if I don't do this now, I'll always regret it and that's not fair to either of us." She paused briefly. "Take care of her, ok?" she added quietly._

_She hung up and dropped her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs._

* * *

_The tour was everything Brittany could have dreamed of and more. She should've been in her element. She was training with some of the top choreographers around and she was surrounded by dancers so much more experienced and talented than her._

_Yet she rarely smiled and had maybe laughed once or twice in the first three months of the tour. People around her had started to think of her as a loner and let her be. She was still appreciated as an amazing dancer and that was one thing that definitely didn't suffer. When she was dancing, she was a different person. All the passion that she usually held for life was pushed into her dancing. She became a shell of her former self._

_They were flying to Sydney and Brittany was listening to music, not feeling at all sleepy. She felt a tap on her arm and glanced at the person to her left. She was one of the other dancers, but Brittany hadn't bothered to learn many names. She waved and smiled. Brittany cracked a half smile in return and went back to looking out of the window._

_She tapped her arm again. Brittany whirled around and glared, but a glare just looked wrong on her so she was pretty sure she looked constipated or something._

_The girl started saying something, but Brittany couldn't hear because of her music._

Seriously? Can't she see that I can't hear her? Maybe if I ignore her, she'll leave me alone.

_Unfortunately for Brittany, the brunette dancer didn't seem to take the hint. Eventually, Brittany felt kinda bad and pulled out her earphones._

"…_she totally shouldn't have landed it, but she did and I haven't looked back since."_

"_What?" Brittany asked in confusion._

"_Oh, you took your earphones out," the dancer said, blushing. "I-I didn't notice."_

"_Ok…" Brittany said slowly._

_The brunette looked nervous._

"_Did you need something?" Brittany asked. This chick was weird._

"_Uh, no," she replied, drawing out the 'no'._

_Brittany looked at her expectantly._

"_Ok, so I've been kinda watching you since we were in Philly and I have to say that I kinda can't stop thinking about you cos you're like the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and I only came over here cos I had two of those little vodka things and I saw you had your earphones in, so even if you didn't hear me I could at least say I spoke to you." She didn't take a breath during her entire speech and the words were spewed out so quickly that Brittany almost missed some of them._

_The blonde blinked. She definitely hadn't expected that._

"_Ok, now that I've embarrassed myself, I'm gonna go jump out of this plane," the girl said quickly, standing up._

"_Wait," Brittany found herself saying._

_The girl sat down._

"_I'm Brittany," the blonde said, holding out her hand._

"_Yeah, I kinda know that," the brunette said with a blush. She slipped her hand into Brittany's and squeezed slightly. "I'm Sara."_

* * *

"Can I come in?"

Santana stepped aside and let Brittany step inside her apartment. She closed the door.

"Did you forget something?" Santana asked, hoping that she had indeed simply forgotten something.

Brittany just went to the couch and sat down, her hands clasped tightly in her lap and her eyes staring straight ahead. Santana sighed quietly. Brittany was gearing up for a serious talk. She was gonna need some help.

"Wine?"

Brittany nodded once and Santana went into the kitchen, taking her time with pouring them each a glass and finishing half of hers before topping it up. She walked back into the living room once she'd decided she'd stalled enough and put Brittany's glass in front of her on the coffee table. Santana sat down in the far corner, hoping that it didn't look like she was trying to put as much space between them as possible.

"Do you believe in fate?" Brittany asked after a few minutes, her voice shattering the tense silence.

"Uh, yeah, I do," Santana replied truthfully. She paused. "Do you?"

Brittany nodded. "I believe that everything happens for a reason, whether or not you have control over it. Every person you meet, every decision you make, every direction you walk in." She caught Santana's eye and held her gaze. "Santana, I need to tell you something."

"Ok," Santana whispered.

_Oh, God. This was going to be so bad._

Brittany turned her body so that she was facing Santana and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she locked her gaze on Santana's again.

"I'm sorry."

It was so sincere, so honest, that Santana's heart started racing.

"I'm sorry that I left you. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I didn't include in my decision. I'm sorry that I missed almost eight years of our lives together. But most of all, I'm sorry for not fighting for you."

Santana's gut was jumping up and down.

"Having said that…"

Santana frowned. That didn't sound like it should follow an apology.

"…I'm not sorry for going on tour. It was absolutely the right decision for me and I know now that now more than ever."

"Wait, what?' Santana asked, baffled. "You just said-"

"I said that I was sorry that I left _you_. I'm not sorry that I left, though. If I could do it again, I wouldn't have left you, but I still would've gone on tour."

"Brittany, that the same thing! You left me _because_ you went on tour. What would been different?"

"I said that I was sorry for not fighting for you," Brittany said quietly, dropping her eyes and looking her hands. "Regardless of how things ended, I should've fought you on your ultimatum." She looked at Santana again. "I would've asked you to wait for me." She inched forward slightly, a move that didn't go unnoticed by the Latina. "Would you have waited for me, Santana?"

Santana swallowed hard and her heart started thumping like crazy. This was against the rules! Dammit!

"Santana."

She had to look at her. That's what Brittany was asking. If Santana looked into her eyes, she couldn't lie and Brittany knew that. Santana had known her answer as soon as Brittany had asked the question, but if she answered, it could change everything.

"Look at me."

Santana met those clear blue eyes that she could get lost in.

"Would you have waited for me?"

"Yes." She breathed out the answer, not trusting her voice.

Brittany smiled. It was one of the smiles that Santana knew was only for her. It was the smile that said _I would do anything to kiss you right now_. Santana may have opened a can of worms with her answer, but she couldn't let Brittany touch her, let alone kiss her. If that happened, bad things would ensue. And by bad things she meant really, really good things. Things that she shouldn't want or think about.

The blonde moved forward again on the couch and Santana pressed herself against the armrest in an attempt to maintain distance between them.

"Brittany," she said warningly, but to her it sounded more like a plea.

Brittany took Santana's wine glass from her hand and put it on the table. Santana didn't protest, although her brain was screaming at her to do something. Brittany caught Santana's gaze again and reached for her hand. Santana took a sharp breath in at the contact. Brittany's soft fingers traced over every knuckle, every nail until she interlinked their fingers and brought the back of Santana's hand closer to her waiting lips.

"Wait."

Santana closed her eyes and thanked whatever strength she'd summoned to do that. She opened her eyes and gently disentangled her hand from Brittany's. The blonde looked disappointed and hurt.

"Don't you love me?" she asked.

Asked by anyone else and it would've come across as arrogant, but asked by Brittany, she made it sound so vulnerable.

_Yes, yes, YES! A million times yes! I never stopped loving you_.

"Brittany, it's not about that," Santana said slowly. "We…we can't do this." She gestured between them. "It's not a good idea."

"Why not?" Brittany asked in confusion. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God. You're not single, are you? Fuck, I can't believe that I almost-"

"Brittany!" Santana interrupted, "I am single, but that's not the reason."

"Is it Bella? Cos I thought we got along great. And I would never-"

"Brittany!" Santana interrupted again in irritation. "It's not about Bella. It's about me and I don't think that I can be with you again." She said it slowly, her voice trailing off towards again, hating how cold it sounded.

Brittany didn't say anything and Santana didn't dare look in her eyes because every ounce of strength that she was desperately holding onto would just evaporate.

"Is it because of Friday night?" Brittany asked quietly and Santana winced at the hurt laced in her voice.

"Um, partly, but Friday night shouldn't make a difference."

"Why not?"

"Because for all I knew, that girl was your girlfriend," Santana explained, finally voicing the thoughts that had been running around in her since the weekend.

"She's not," Brittany said quickly.

"That's not the point," Santana replied, holding up her hand. She paused, making sure she had the right words. "I don't know anything about your life over the last eight years. When we broke up, I almost died. I was _so_ devastated. I didn't leave my bed for a week, didn't eat, didn't sleep, just cried. I almost flunked out of college because I just didn't care anymore."

"San-"

"Brittany, just let me finish, ok? I know that we both said some really hurtful things that night. I know I didn't mean them. I was just…angry at how you felt you could make this life choice without even talking to me about it first. You just blindsided me with your decision and I had to not only deal with you leaving, but not seeing you for a year. I just…I snapped."

Brittany's eyes were sad when Santana met them.

"But I forgive you, San. I forgave you the minute I left. But I knew that I still had to go because if I didn't, that regret would've killed us."

"I know," Santana said simply. "But I learnt to survive without you the hard way. If I had to get you back, I wouldn't be able to let you go again."

Brittany scooted closer to Santana eagerly. "But you won't have to! I'm not going anywhere! I'm staying here for good."

"And what happens when you get another call, Brittany?" Santana said softly. "What if you get asked on tour again? You're still young and so, so talented. I would want you to go. If you didn't, I'd know that it was because of me. And that's not fair to either of us."

Brittany frowned. "When we broke up, you told me that you didn't want me to go, and that if I did, we were done. And I made the mistake of believing you. Now you're telling me that if it happens again, you'd _make_ me go, even though you wouldn't want me to? Even though you wouldn't be able to?"

"This is all hypothetical," Santana explained. "But yes, I would want you to follow your dreams. You were right," she said, lowering her head in shame. "I was living my dream and you were just living through me."

Brittany's eyes widened. "The phone…that was _you_?"

Santana nodded. "I asked Kurt for his phone to call you, but you started speaking before I could say anything. I just dropped the phone when you were done. I was so broken."

"Shit."

"Brittany, look." Santana took a deep breath. "I love that we're talking, really I do. I was absolutely terrified that things were just going to get more awkward and weird if I spoke to you and we brought up all our history, but now that we are talking, I actually feel a lot better. Like a weight has been lifted or something."

"You mean like working out?" Brittany asked.

Santana couldn't help but smile. "I guess. We're working out our problems. Besides the musical, we work together. Spending the entire time dodging each other at school will take its toll. Plus, I know it's hard for you to not be friends with everyone."

"I like having friends," Brittany mumbled.

"I know you do," Santana said, gathering all her strength for her next sentence. "Maybe we could try being friends again?"

Brittany looked up hopefully, searching the Latina's eyes for any hint of teasing.

"Really?" she whispered.

Santana nodded. "Just friends, ok? We were once friends. Maybe we can get back to that."

"Before or after we started sleeping together?" Brittany asked with a grin.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Definitely before. Nice try."

Brittany shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying. You've always been super sexy, but now you're stunning. And you totally have that milf thing going on."

Santana's throat went dry and she slid off the couch and away from Brittany's mesmerising eyes, grabbing her wine glass as she made her way to the kitchen. She downed the remaining wine and hurriedly poured another glass and stood at the island, watching Brittany watching her.

"You can't do stuff like that, Britt," Santana said weakly. "Seriously. Friends."

Brittany raised an eyebrow. "Fine," she said, nodding. "But I wasn't flirting, San. It was just an observation."

_Yeah, right. You forget that I know how your mind works, Brittany S. Pierce._

"So, we're friends?" Brittany asked with a big smile.

"We're colleagues," Santana replied and Brittany's face dropped. "We're colleagues for now," she amended. "I think we need to work up to friendship, ok?"

The smile was back and the blonde nodded enthusiastically.

"All right," Santana breathed, taking another sip of wine.

She hoped to God that this wasn't going to blow up in her face.

* * *

**A/N: Loves me some feedback ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: One: 200 reviews! You guys make me smile so big :) Two: There's a lot of groundwork that needs to be laid down between Santana and Brittany before any kind of RELATIONSHIP can develop between them. Friendship is a lot easier for Santana than anything more... Three: Thanks so much for your feedback - I need to know if what I'm writing makes sense! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 20**

Brittany grinned widely at everyone as she walked through the school the next day. Her smiling at everyone wasn't unusual, but the odd skip she took every other step was different. Santana had agreed to at least try being friends. It was so much more than what she'd hopes for.

She knew that by spending enough time together, Santana would remember what it was like to be together and, one day, she'd hear Santana say those three magical words that used to set Brittany's heart fluttering every time she said it.

_Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?_

Brittany shook off the little voice in her head. Maybe she was, but whatever. Progress was progress. Her goal for the next week was to convince Santana that friendship was a good thing for them. It would be difficult, Brittany knew, for her to reel in her overwhelming feelings for the Latina. She'd never been good at hiding from Santana. If she found out that Brittany was still hopelessly in love with her and wanted more than anything to be with her again, she might bolt and Brittany would never see her again.

"Hey, San!" Brittany said cheerfully as she bounded into Santana's classroom. It was lunch so she knew there wouldn't be any kids inside. But five pairs of eyes told her otherwise. "Oh," she said softly. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were busy."

"It's ok," Santana called, stopping Brittany's hasty departure. "These are the students that Mr. Fuller and I have picked to help put the script for the musical together."

"Oh!" Brittany said with a smile. "That's awesome." She looked around. "Where is Mr. Fuller?"

"He, uh, is having lunch," one of the students answered nervously.

Brittany frowned. When she'd spoken to Fuller, he'd been very enthusiastic and agreeable about the amount of time that he'd have to put into getting script done. This didn't bode well for a positive start.

"Uh, guys, how about we pick this up after school. Meet back here?" Santana asked, glancing at Brittany's moody expression.

"Unbelievable!" the blonde exploded as soon as Santana closed the door behind the students.

"Britt, calm down," Santana said, sitting down at her desk. "He's entitled to his lunch break, as are all of us."

Brittany sighed in exasperation and continued her pacing in front of Santana's desk. "You and I are both working during every single lunch break-"

"Well, we have the most responsibilities," Santana interjected.

"But Ellie's already working on sets, Mrs. Spencer is making the band practice during lunch and Griff is working on dialogue and tone and stuff and-"

"Brittany."

The blonde immediately cut her tirade and took a deep breath. Santana's tone told her that she needed to chill. And she did, but she just wanted this to work out. Besides the fact that she _needed_ this as an excuse to spend time with Santana, she really wanted to put a musical on.

"I know how much you want this. And I agree that it's important that everyone pulls their weight, but it's still early days. You've spoken to Fuller and he's said that he's going to do what it takes, right?"

Brittany nodded and stopped her pacing, leaning against the first desk. Santana looked at her with a curious expression and Brittany immediately felt self-conscious. She started looking down at her shirt, thinking she may have spilt something.

"What?"

Santana smiled. "You've just grown up a lot. I've never seen you go on a rant like that. That was normally my department."

Brittany blushed. "Well, I just think that this musical could be a chance for the school to see how stereotypes aren't so fixed. I mean, what if there are kids in this school that can sing and dance, but are too scared to try anything for fear of rejection?"

Santana blinked. "You're right. But that's why this idea of yours is so amazing. You're giving people like that the opportunity to discover their talents and come out of their shells in a safe environment."

Brittany gave her a big smile. She loved how Santana still understood her.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Huh?"

"You came in here. Did you want to tell me something?"

"Uh…" _Busted_. "Um…"

Santana smiled and shook her head.

"Wait! I totally remember," Brittany said quickly, making something up on the spot.

Santana looked at her expectantly.

"I think that we should tell each other something about the last eight years. One story a day," Brittany said, proud of her cleverness. "You know, so that we can get onto that road to friendship."

Santana smiled. "Ok, you first."

"Ok…ummm…I twisted my ankle quite badly on the last Madonna show before coming back home. I was so scared that I wasn't going to be able to dance again."

"Wow, that's scary. Everything's ok, right?"

Brittany nodded and smiled. "I took the time back here to rehabilitate myself properly and build up the strength in my tendons again. I was pretty much back to normal when I got the call about _Dancing With The Stars_."

"Wait, what?"

"Nice try, San," Brittany said, shaking a finger at her. "That's one thing. Your turn."

"Um, ok. Oh! You'll never guess what my biggest craving was when I was pregnant."

Brittany mentally went through her Santana-pedia. "Breadsticks?"

Santana nodded. "With cucumber and guacamole."

"Ew," Brittany laughed, sticking out her tongue in disgust.

"Yeah, now I can't even look at guacamole without feeling nauseous."

They chuckled and their eyes met. It felt so natural to be joking around and reminiscing without any awkwardness.

"Any ideas about the script yet?' Brittany asked suddenly, remembering her goal. No pressure – just show Santana that she could be a friend.

"Uh, no," Santana replied, shaking herself. "Today was really the first meeting. We were just discussing schedules, really."

"Ok. I just realised that we can't really have auditions and stuff like that until we at least have a script idea with characters. We can't cast people in roles that don't exist."

"I know," Santana replied. "I did mention that time was going to be short so hopefully they'll take some initiative and come back to me and Fuller with something."

"But what if they don't?"

Santana opened her mouth and closed it again.

Brittany sighed. "Promise me something?"

Santana raised an eyebrow.

"If I ask you, will you write the script?"

"Britt, I don't know…"

"Come on, Santana. We both know that you'd write the best script, especially for these kids. And we can't wait around forever. If we don't have a script in two weeks, promise me you'll do it."

Brittany could see Santana was struggling to find a reason not to. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous. Her writing had been amazing in high school, and she could only have gotten better.

"Look, Britt. How about we see what the kids come up with first before we start doubting their abilities, ok?" Santana eventually said diplomatically.

Brittany shrugged in agreement.

"Remember what you said to me a few minutes ago – there might be some kids at this school who have serious talent, but are scared of rejection to follow them. What kind of example are we setting if we bypass their attempts because we think they're not good enough?"

"I get what you're saying, San," Brittany argued. "And you're right, but this musical also needs to be amazing. We need to set the bar. We need to get people interested and enthusiastic about something like this becoming permanent at Griffin Hill."

"With you and me running it, it can't be anything but amazing," Santana smirked.

The bell rang and Brittany jumped off the desk, almost slipping and struggling to regain her balance.

"Woooo!" she giggled, standing up and grinning.

Santana had a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud, but her shoulders were shaking from the effort.

"Wow, if that's how you react when I _almost_ fall, I'd love to know what you would've done if I actually did fall."

"I'm sorry," Santana said between breaths. "It just looked so funny!"

Brittany's eyes narrowed. "You making fun of me, Lopez?"

"No," Santana said with a smile.

"I think you are. And I think you should be punished." She took a menacing step forward and Santana's eyes widened, the smile slowly dropping from her face.

Brittany took another step forward until she was next to Santana's chair. The Latina's knuckles were white as she gripped the armrests. Brittany leaned down until she was next to Santana's ear and she could hear her quick breathing.

"Boo," she whispered.

Santana visibly jumped and Brittany chuckled softly before standing up and walking out.

* * *

_Holy hell. What the fuck._

Santana tried desperately to calm her rapid breathing as Brittany walked out. How did things go from normal to crazy in two seconds flat? And damn her body's betrayal. She was pretty sure that Brittany had seen how she'd reacted to her closeness. That hardly helped her plan to keep things professional between them.

She just needed to remind herself why she was doing things this way. Why was she again?

Santana shook her head of the fog that had settled since Brittany had descended upon her.

_Focus. Focus. Fucking focus._

_Brittany._

Santana groaned in frustration and let her head fall on the desk.

* * *

The next week passed by with no major incidents. Brittany was pretending that everything was normal and Santana was grateful.

The musical was getting off the ground, but _very_ slowly. First off, Fuller had gone and broken his leg doing something retarded like base jumping. In New York, really? This meant that Santana was now in charge of the script as well as the director of the whole show. The directing part was cake, but the script-writing was proving to be incredibly taxing and frustrating. Santana was doing her best to be patient, but her team were coming up with half-assed ideas that they couldn't elaborate on and so far, she'd only had two proposals. Brittany's promise was coming back to haunt her.

It wasn't that she was afraid of writing a script. She was terrified of it being complete shit. Brittany had been the only one to ever read her stuff and she'd been biased anyway.

Plus, she knew that once the script was done, she'd have to be in full director mode. She was already staying later after school than normal and Bella had noticed. After years of always having her mom to herself at night, now she had to share her with schedules and videos of singing and dancing. In the beginning, Bella had joined in, but now she mostly just sat at the dining room table drawing, colouring or reading, sending her mother glances every now and then. This didn't go unnoticed by Santana, but she didn't know what else to do. She'd committed to directing the musical. She couldn't let Brittany down now.

Santana was sitting in the auditorium, watching as Mrs. Spencer directed her singers. She was doodling on a page when she felt someone sit down next to her.

"So, why did you choose Bella?"

Santana blinked and turned to Brittany. "What?"

Brittany indicated Santana's page. She glanced down. She'd absently written Bella's name over and over again. Santana blushed and dropped her pencil.

"That's my question for today," Brittany added with a smile. She put her elbow on the table and leaned her head on her hand.

"I named her after my Abuela," Santana said quietly, tracing her finger over Bella's name.

Brittany frowned. "Your mom's mom?"

Santana nodded.

"So does that mean she…?" Brittany wasn't sure how to word the question.

"Uh, unfortunately not," Santana said, her chest starting to hurt at the painful memories.

"Maybe she still will," Brittany offered.

Santana shook her head and closed her eyes, willing the impending tears to stay away. "I doubt that. She died two years ago."

"Oh, San," Brittany said softly.

Santana felt Brittany looking at her and she didn't need to meet the blue eyes to know that they were filled with sorrow. Looking at Brittany would only break the dam that she was desperately trying to keep intact.

"I've dealt with the fact that I didn't get my wish," Santana almost whispered.

Brittany didn't have to ask what Santana meant. She recalled sitting on the stage at McKinley in a circle with the New Directions just after Dave Karofsky had tried to kill himself. Her wish had been for her grandmother to love her again, but no matter the attempts from Maribel, Isabella had refused to budge. When Santana's mother had called her to tell her that her Abuela had died in her sleep, Santana hadn't really computed the news. She'd gone to the funeral and suddenly broken down more than she'd expected, realising that one of the people that had shaped her into the person she was, was gone and they hadn't dealt with their issues.

"Brittany, do you think people can change?" Santana asked quietly.

"Of course."

Santana paused. "What if you don't like that change?"

"Then…maybe they aren't the person you knew. But you also need to ask yourself why you don't like the change – is it because of them or because of you?"

Santana looked at Brittany and smiled.

"Your Abuela didn't like the change in you because of her, not because of you," Brittany added. "I remember what you told me; you said that you were the same person you were a minute ago, but she couldn't see past the fact that you were embracing the best part of you. She couldn't see that you were still such an amazing person because _she_ didn't like the change. And that's always gonna be on her, San. I know you're not supposed to speak badly about dead people and stuff, but she lost out on getting to know the awesome person her granddaughter became."

"Thanks, B," Santana said softly, sniffing.

She caught a huge smile cross Brittany's face that she immediately tried to hide.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," Brittany replied quickly, trying to look serious but failing miserably.

"Come on. Spill."

Brittany allowed the grin to take over her face again. "You called me B."

Santana blushed. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"No, no, don't be!" Brittany said quickly. "I loved it when you called me that. You were the only one. I…I like that you're the only one to call me that."

"Oh. Well, you're the only one who's ever called me San."

"I know," Brittany beamed. "So we have nicknames for each other. Does that mean we're friends?" she asked hopefully.

Santana rolled her eyes playfully. Brittany had been hinting the last two days that they should upgrade their colleague status to friends and Santana had always come up with reasons why they shouldn't. But she'd always done it in a light tone, which meant that Brittany knew she was teasing. It had turned into a game. They had evolved into friends again without actually making a big deal out of it.

"Well, I don't know about you, but my friends always make sure that I have coffee if I'm going to be working late," Santana teased.

Brittany frowned. "But you keep saying we're not friends." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "So that means I don't have to get you coffee."

"Damn," Santana chuckled. "Thought I had you on that one."

"I'm too smart for you now," Brittany cheered.

A screech from the stage caused both teachers to turn their heads quickly.

"What happened?" Santana asked into the mic.

"A minor loss of pitch," Mrs. Spencer said airily.

"Don't you think she looks like Ms. Darbus From HSM?" Brittany whispered in her ear.

Santana jumped slightly, not expecting Brittany to be so close.

"Uh, yeah. She totally does," Santana replied, trying to correct her breathing.

"But at least she's not as eccentric."

Santana cocked her head. "I dunno, B. Give her time. I'm sure it'll bubble to the surface."

"Ms. Lopez!"

Santana sat up. "Mrs. Spencer?"

"You're an alto, correct?"

"I am."

"Would you mind helping Lisa here with her runs? I can't get quite that low. My soprano isn't trained for that range."

Santana smiled. "Sure." She stood up. "You sure she's not eccentric, Britt?"

Santana spent the next half hour with Lisa, working on her breathing, pitch and runs.

"You're really good, Ms. Lopez," Lisa whispered, glancing over to Mrs. Spencer as though she was afraid the music teacher would take offence to her comment.

"Thanks, Lisa. You know you are, too. You just have to believe that you're as good as you are. When I was in high school, I walked around liked I owned the place. It gave me sense of confidence and that transcended to my singing. The first place nerves come out is in your voice. _I'm_ telling you that you're good and now _you_ just need to believe it." She leaned closer. "Watch this."

She turned to where Brittany was still sitting at the table towards the back of the auditorium and opened her mouth.

_Hey soul sister, I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight._

She sang the line in a slower tempo, letting her voice hang on _hey _and _thing_. Her strong voice echoed throughout the auditorium, drowning out anyone else's attempts to sing. Brittany cheered loudly from the desk, clapping her hands high above her head. Santana sent her a grin and turned back to Lisa.

"You've just gotta feel it. You gotta tell yourself, _I am the best singer at this school and I'm gonna show everyone what I'm made of_."

Lisa grinned and nodded. She and Santana ran through some more melodies and the improvement was remarkable.

"Guys, we should call it a day," Brittany said into the mic.

Santana glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. It was already close to five. She was supposed to fetch Bella from Kurt's at four-thirty. She rushed an apology to Lisa and raced back up to the desk, taking two steps at a time. She grabbed her phone from next to a surprised Brittany and waited impatiently as it rang.

"Kurt!" she said quickly as soon as he answered.

"Oh, you remembered we existed," Kurt said sarcastically, with only a slight playfulness. He was pissed. Well, more than likely, Bella was pissed and that had pissed Kurt off.

"I'm sorry," Santana apologised quietly. "Please put her on?"

"Good luck," Kurt said.

"Hello?" Bella's voice was flat.

"Hey, baby," Santana said softly. "Are you ok?"

"Fine."

Santana swallowed. She was in deep shit. She had _never_, in six years and nine months, forgotten her daughter.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," she said earnestly. "I lost-"

"You lost track of time," Bella interrupted.

Santana winced. She felt like she was being scolded. "I'm leaving school now, ok? I'll come pick you up and tonight we're gonna do whatever you wanna do. Anything."

"Anything?" Bella asked after a while.

"Anything, _mi amor_."

"Ok," her daughter conceded eventually.

"Thanks, baby girl," Santana said gratefully. "I'll be there in about half an hour, depending on how long the cab takes, ok?"

"Ok," Bella replied, sounding a little less pissed.

"I love you, Isabella."

"Love you, Mommy."

Santana breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up.

"Sounds like you just averted major disaster," Brittany commented, handing Santana's bag, which was on the other side of the table, to her.

"Hope so. I've been neglecting her this week. I knew that she was getting upset about it, but I didn't do anything. I feel like an idiot."

"Why didn't you do anything?' Brittany asked curiously, following Santana out of the auditorium.

"Well, I'd committed to being director and you needed me to look over the singers and dancers so that I'm on board when it comes to the auditions. You've put so much effort into this. I didn't wanna let you down."

"Santana, I could slap you."

The Latina stopped suddenly, causing Brittany to bump into her.

"Excuse me?" she asked, turning around and her eyes narrowing.

"I would _never_ ask you to sacrifice time with Bella because of this musical," Brittany said, meeting Santana's gaze. "What on earth made you think it was ok for you to do that? If anything, you should've told me and I would never have given you those videos."

"Britt, be careful what you say, ok?" Santana's voice was low. "You're overstepping."

"Why?" Brittany pushed, taking a step forward. "Because I wasn't there for eight years? Well, get over yourself, San. I'm here now, and deny it all you want, we _are _friends. And I always told you what everyone else was afraid to. Why would I stop doing that? No one else has the guts to tell you that you don't have to be in control of everything all the time. _Especially_ when it involves time away from your daughter." Brittany paused only enough to take a deep breath before starting again, "I may not know the circumstances around Bella's conception and all that stuff, but I _do_ know that she is the best thing that you have _ever_ done and if you fuck that up because of this musical, I _will_ slap you."

Brittany's chest was heaving with exertion and Santana just held her gaze. They stared at each other until Brittany's breathing returned to normal. At some point, both of them move slightly closer, their eyes never leaving each other's. Breathing picked up slightly as heart rates increased.

At the last second, Santana pulled back, frowning at herself. "I can't," she whispered. "We-we-we can't." She looked down. "I have to go."

She turned and walked away, mentally kicking herself for letting Brittany get to her like she always knew how to. But more so, she was kicking herself for pulling away. She had wanted more than anything in the world to kiss Brittany, to just feel those lips against hers one more time. They'd always fit so perfectly together.

_Fuck, shit, shit, fuck._

What was wrong with her? First she loses herself in a project, mostly because it's Brittany's project. Then she forgets her daughter because said project is so time consuming.

She felt her phone vibrate. She opened a text from the blonde dancer herself.

_I don't know what you're so scared of, but one day you will let me kiss you._

Santana swallowed. Butterflies started their rampage in her stomach. There was a big part of her that hoped that one day would be very, very soon.

* * *

**A/N: I'M NOT DRAWING THIS OUT ON PURPOSE, I PROMISE!**

**Seriously, this growth is integral to their relationship getting back on track. Obviously, they both want each other (duh), but Santana can't let go of how Britt just left her. **

**The almost-kiss kinda wrote itself. It wasn't on the cards at all so I hope you guys don't hate it….**

**I really love hearing your thoughts :) Keep 'em coming :)**

**-H**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Many thanks to those who expressed their appreciation of the pace at which this story has been told – you guys ROCK :)**

**Also, I HAVE to mention the AMAZING ship name that Angelinside77 has given Santana, Brittany and Bella: Britanella :D I had the stupidest grin on my face for the whole day :)**

**Oh…I'm having evil thoughts about more spanners in the works for our favourite (non) couple ;)**

**Enjoy the next chapter…**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 21**

Why was it so damn hard for her to stick to her original plan? Why couldn't she just suck it up and be a friend instead of some overprotective, know-it-all ex-girlfriend?

_Because that's what you are, doofus_.

Brittany sighed and threw the remote on the couch in frustration. This was not going at all how she'd planned. Yes, Santana had pushed her buttons. Yes, she'd needed a frigging wake up call. Seriously, Brittany was supposed to be the dumb one, for fuck's sakes. She had every right to tell Santana off because she knew she was right – no one else would. That was why Santana hadn't said anything.

And then she'd almost kissed her.

_Stupid, stupid!_

But she'd wanted it too. Brittany could tell. That was pretty much why she'd sent the text. Santana could pretend all she wanted and deny her feelings all she wanted, but Brittany was ready to wait for her for as long as it took. She wasn't going to give up, no matter how much Santana fought her.

Brittany sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She needed to do something. Dancing wasn't right for what she was feeling. She rummaged through her closet and pulled out some sweats and pulled on a pair of trainers. She pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and grabbed her iPod and keys. Her music was already blasting by the time she was in the lobby and pushed open the door, heading left and immediately breaking into a jog.

* * *

"Hey, it's Britt!" Bella exclaimed, pointing at a blonde who had just exited their building and run in the opposite direction.

"Oh," was all Santana could manage. She watched as Brittany's perfect form disappeared around the corner and shook her head.

"We should've invited her tonight," Bella mused as they walked into the lobby.

"Uh, why, baby?" Santana asked, trying to sound casual. The _last_ thing she needed was to spend cosy family time with Brittany. "I thought tonight was about us?"

"Tonight's about _me_," Bella clarified, glaring at her mother. "Cos you forgot me."

"Bella," Santana whined. "Seriously. I feel so bad about that. Do you really have to keep reminding me?"

"Yes," Bella said sternly, pushing the button for the elevator. "Because you could forget me again and then what if someone else takes me?"

Santana froze in fear.

_Jesus Christ. She's right! What if she hadn't been with Kurt? What if I was supposed to fetch her at school and she'd ended up waiting over an hour?_

"Mommy?" Bella's voice was alarmed.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," Santana blubbered, tears streaming down her face. She knelt next to her daughter. "You have every right to be mad at me. If anything happened to you, I-I-I…I don't know what I'd do."

Bella took in her mother's face and her expression softened. She just wanted attention, she hadn't expected full waterworks. She ran her finger over Santana's forehead and her mother gave her a small smile.

"You don't have to forgive me cos I really did mess up, but I'm promising you that I won't _ever_ forget you again. And I know this musical has been taking up a lot of my time, but when I walk through our door, I'm gonna be all yours."

"Every night?"

Santana paused. She didn't want to lie to her daughter and break her heart. "As much as I can, baby. There will be some nights where I might have to stay a little later than usual, but I'll always make sure that you're safe with someone and that I let you know _before_ if I'm going to be late. Is that ok with you?"

The lift opened and they walked in.

Bella sighed. "It's not forever, right?"

Santana shook her head. "Definitely not. And maybe some nights that I have to stay late you could come and hang out with me?"

"Will Brittany be there too?"

Santana tried hard not to let the pang of hurt show. "Sure," she said brightly.

"Ok," Bella replied enthusiastically.

Was it happening already? Was Santana losing her daughter because she wasn't cool enough? She had to make tonight so awesome that Bella had no doubt how much she loved her.

"What are we doing first?" Santana asked.

"We have to get into our jammies," Bella instructed.

Santana opened the front door and Bella raced in, heading straight for her bedroom. Santana put her bag on the couch and went to her own bedroom. She pulled out her fluffy yellow winter pyjamas because she knew that those were the type of pyjamas that Bella had in mind.

"Ok, I'm dressed!" Santana called from her room. "What next?"

"Mommy, do you have a tie?"

Santana frowned. "I don't think so, baby. What do you need one for?"

"Blindfold," came the muttered answer.

Santana started getting a little worried. What devious planning had her daughter been masterminding?

"I have a scarf?" Santana suggested, pulling out a beautiful silk scarf that her mother had given to her for Christmas the previous year.

"Perfect!" Bella exclaimed, bounding into Santana's room. She held out her hand and Santana handed it to her, looking at her in confusion. "Ok, now we need food."

"What do you want?"

"Pizza."

"Ok," Santana said with a smile. She could do that. She walked to the couch to get her phone.

"With Dots on."

Santana froze and turned slowly to her daughter, who was standing in the doorway with a smirk.

"And chocolate-covered popcorn."

"Uh…" Santana was at a loss for words. "I don't think they make those kind of pizzas, baby girl."

Bella stuck out her bottom lip.

"But I think I could make it work," Santana said quickly. "I'll call for the pizza and then I just need to run to the store, ok?"

Bella nodded with a smile.

"Do you want anything else from the store?"

"Ice cream. And purple cooldrink."

Santana groaned inwardly. This girl was killing her. There was only one store that sold the purple cooldrink Bella wanted and it was at least thirty blocks away. The store she'd planned on going to was only three blocks away.

"Sure thing," she said. She walked towards her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked, blocking her path.

"Uh, I'm going to put my clothes back on."

"Why?"

_No, no, please. Don't make me do_ _that._

"Uh, because I need to go to the store?"

"So?"

"Really, Bella?"

"I think you look nice," Bella replied, folding her arms across her chest and giving a perfect imitation of a nonchalant Santana look.

"Well, thank you, baby, but I don't think that people out there would agree."

Bella shrugged and Santana groaned.

"You are so mean," she grumbled, grabbing her purse and phone. "Can I at least put on some shoes and a jacket? You don't want me to get sick, do you?"

Bella considered her mother's proposal and nodded. Santana quickly grabbed a pair of Uggs and her longest jacket – not that it did much to hide the bright yellow pyjamas underneath. She sighed. She'd walked right into this torture. Her daughter had definitely inherited her revenge streak.

"Whatever I want," Bella reminded her.

"I'll call for the pizza on my way and Oliver can keep it till I come back. Dots, chocolate-covered popcorn, purple cooldrink. Did I forget anything?"

"Ice cream!"

"Right, right, got it. Love you, baby. Be safe. Lock the door and don't open it for anyone, all right?"

"I won't. Love you too!" Bella called as the door closed behind her mother.

* * *

Brittany had been running for what felt like an hour, but it only been half that when she checked her phone. She was breathing hard, mostly because she hadn't really been jogging, more like sprinting around the city.

When she was a couple of blocks from her apartment building, she slowed down to a jog. The last thing she needed was stiff muscles the next day. She rounded a corner and collided with a blur of black and yellow.

_Did I just run into a bumble bee?_ Brittany thought as she landed on her ass.

"Crap! I'm so sorry!"

Brittany looked up. "Santana?"

"Oh, hi," the Latina replied, looking uncomfortable.

Brittany allowed her eyes to travel over Santana's attire. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, uh…Bella's idea of payback," she mumbled.

Brittany pushed herself off the ground and Santana stepped forward and took her arm to help her up.

"It's ok," Brittany said quietly. She didn't want to cause her to bolt again. "You don't have to help me."

"I knocked you down," Santana replied in an equally quiet tone.

Brittany just let the most beautiful woman in the world help her up even though she could've done it easily by herself. She relished the feeling of Santana's fingers around her arm. God, she missed those fingers.

_Gutter mind_.

Brittany smiled to herself. That wasn't actually what she'd meant, but those digits had definitely been more than capable in _that_ department.

"You ok?"

Santana's voice shook Brittany from her fantasy and she blushed, nodding. Luckily, in the rapidly fading sunlight, her reddened cheeks weren't so visible, but Brittany was pretty sure that Santana had seen them anyway.

"Where are you going dressed like a bee?"

Santana chuckled. "I'm going to Howard's. They're the only store in a fifty-block radius that stocks this purple cooldrink that Bella loves. Oh, and I need to get Dots, chocolate-covered popcorn and ice cream."

"Sounds healthy."

"The Dots and popcorn are toppings for a pizza."

Brittany made a face. "Normally I'd be all over that, but popcorn on pizza just sounds gross. Dots could be cool though."

"I think she's just doing it so that I'd look like an idiot dressed in bright yellow pyjamas and carrying junk food."

Brittany laughed. "Well, you definitely don't look like an idiot. You're totally starting a new trend. I'm gonna wear my pjs and Uggs to work on Monday."

Santana smiled. "Uh, sorry for knocking you down."

Brittany shrugged. "I don't mind. It means I got to talk to you."

Most people wouldn't be able to tell when the tan-skinned girl blushed, but Brittany S. Pierce wasn't most people. She had a frigging doctorate in Santana Lopez. And the Latina was doing her best to cover up the blush that had crept across her beautiful face.

"Santana," Brittany began, "I know that I may have overstepped earlier today, but I still know you and sometimes you need a kick up the ass to make you see how idiotic you're being. And if I'm the only one who has the guts to do it, then I will. I won't let you sacrifice your relationship with Bella because of me or this musical. Got it?"

Santana blinked, clearly surprised by the authoritative tone that the blonde had taken. She nodded.

"Um, Britt, could we walk and talk? I need to get these things for Bella. I don't want her to be at home by herself for too long. I'm already in shit. Taking extra long to get supplies might just be detrimental to my well being."

Brittany chuckled and turned. "Lead the way."

They walked two blocks before Santana spoke, "What happened today, or what almost happened, can't happen again, regardless of what you think."

"Why?' Brittany asked curiously.

Santana looked at the blonde in surprise. "B-B-Because, Brittany, you broke my heart. How am I supposed to trust you with it again knowing that you can turn around and break it like you did the last time?"

Brittany stopped, but Santana kept walking, shoving her hands deep into her coat.

"Santana!" Brittany called, jogging to catch up to her. "Do you really think that I'm going to break your heart again?"

"I don't know!" Santana said in exasperation. "Did you plan to break it the first time?"

Brittany had to give Santana the point for that comment.

"I just…it's not just me anymore. If I let you back in, I'd be letting you into Bella's heart too. If something happened, it wouldn't just be me you'd be hurting and I'm sorry, but I will not risk my daughter."

"Santana, I know I've said sorry, but just tell me what I need to do to prove to you that I would do _anything_ for both you and Bella. Santana, I-"

"Don't," Santana interrupted, holding up a hand. "I don't want you to say that."

"Why not? It's the truth."

"Is it, Brittany? Is it really? Are you one hundred percent _sure_ that you feel that way? After everything that's happened, that's still how you feel?"

"No."

Santana's eyes went wide. She obviously hadn't been expecting that answer. "Th-then why even-"

"I don't _still_ feel the way I used to," Brittany cut in. "Everything that I feel for you is more. At first, I didn't think it was possible, but now there's just more of you to l-"

"Don't," Santana said, shaking her head. "Please don't say it."

"Why, because saying it will make it real? Santana, listen to me," Brittany said firmly, grabbing both of Santana's hands and turning her around to face her. "I know that I hurt you. It kills me every day that I put you through that pain. I know we said that we were both to blame, but I still left. I caused the whole fucking break up because I refused to discuss the biggest decision of my life with the person that meant _everything_ to me. The person who still means everything to me," she added quietly.

"Brittany, no, please," Santana pleaded, trying to pull her hands away, but Brittany held them tighter.

"I love you, Santana," Brittany said, looking straight into Santana's dark eyes. "I never stopped, not in eight years. I could never stop loving you. It's part of who I am."

Santana's closed her eyes, shaking her head as tears started to slip down her cheeks.

"I know that you may not love me back, but I'm willing to spend the rest of my life showing you that you can trust me with your heart again. You can trust me with both yours and Bella's. You're my match, Santana Lopez, in every way possible. You're my soul mate."

Brittany pulled a sobbing Santana into a bone-crushing hug, squeezing her eyes shut and taking deep breaths to stop her own tears from escaping. She'd bared her soul to the love of her life and she wasn't sorry. It may take a year, ten years, twenty years, but she wouldn't give up on Santana. She couldn't.

She didn't let go of the Latina, who was clinging to her like she was her lifeline. Brittany would give anything to be her real lifeline again.

"No matter what happens, I'm gonna be here," Brittany whispered into dark hair. "I will _never_ leave you again. I know you need a friend right now, so that's what I'm going to be for you, ok? I'll be anything you need."

"I-I-I need time," Santana mumbled into Brittany's neck. "Please give me time."

"Of course," she replied immediately, stroking Santana's back soothingly.

After a few more minutes of holding each other, Santana pulled away gently. "I should go," she said quietly, unwinding her arms from around Brittany's waist and putting them back into her coat pockets.

Brittany nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Santana looked down, making arbitrary patterns on the ground with her shoes. She looked up, meeting concerned blue eyes and nodded.

* * *

Santana had never felt so drained in her life. She felt physically weak. The massive crying session with Brittany – in the middle of a frigging New York street, no less – had sapped all of her energy.

Once again, Brittany S. Pierce had found all the loopholes around the stronghold that protected her heart. She'd done it in high school and she'd done it again, even though the fortification had been increased ten-fold.

Brittany's declaration of love had Santana wanting to scream her love right back, but also had her wanting to run a million miles in the other direction. Brittany really did have the power to hurt her, probably even more than before because now she wouldn't be dealing with just her own heart anymore. Bella had a huge capacity for love, just like Brittany and Santana just knew that her daughter would fall hard for the blonde, just like she had. The dancer had a vice-like grip on her heart that she refused to let go of.

The walk to and from the store had been quiet, but Santana had been grateful for Brittany's warm presence beside her. As they'd walked, Santana had been thinking hard. She may be stubborn on her decision to not get back together with Brittany, but she honestly felt that it was the best course of action for her and Bella's sakes. She couldn't go through risking her daughter's heart, never mind her own - again.

Yes, she was still hopelessly in love with Brittany, but denying it meant that any hurt was her own cause. If Brittany had to leave again, the blonde wouldn't be responsible for any pain that Santana went through – that would be on her. And that she could deal with. Sure, Brittany had sworn that she wasn't going to leave again, but that lingering pain of her leaving the first time stayed with Santana and probably always would. Regardless of what the future brought, Santana would probably _always_ be worried that Brittany would leave. That was why she couldn't risk being with her again. She wouldn't survive being hurt like that a second time.

They arrived at their apartment building and Santana saw Brittany wave slightly to Nod...Oliver. She forced herself to return his smile as she picked up the pizza she'd ordered. The ride up the elevator was quiet until the doors opened at Santana's floor. She stepped out and paused.

Brittany's hand came up to stop the doors from closing as she watched Santana.

"Bella wants to see you," Santana finally said. She wasn't lying exactly. She just didn't want to say goodbye to Brittany yet.

Brittany nodded. "How about I go up and shower and then I'll come back down?"

Santana nodded quickly and turned towards her apartment. Was she a glutton for punishment? She didn't want a relationship with Brittany, but she still wanted to be around her all the time. It was as though if she could always see Brittany, she wouldn't disappear. She couldn't leave again.

Of course, Santana knew she was being utterly ridiculous, but now that Brittany was back in her life, even in a friendship capacity, she couldn't let her go. Not again.

Brittany had apologised for not fighting for Santana. Yes, Santana had tried to contact Brittany, but she had also driven the blonde away with her vicious, vicious words.

Santana quickly put the bag and pizza box on the ground, turned and ran back to the elevator. Brittany stepped out of it when she saw Santana coming. She threw her arms around the blonde's neck and pulled her tightly to her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into Brittany's neck. "You apologised to me for everything, but I never said how sorry I was for not fighting for _you_. I'm so, so sorry, Britt."

"Ssshh," Brittany soothed, her arms wrapping around Santana's waist. "I know you're sorry, San. We both made mistakes, ok? Now we can move forward."

Santana pulled away and Brittany tenderly tucked her hair behind her ear.

"As friends," Brittany added with a smile. "Because I know that's what you need me to be."

Santana nodded, not trusting her voice.

"I'll see you in a bit, ok?" Brittany said softly, releasing the Latina.

Santana nodded again and reluctantly let Brittany go. Oh boy, she was in big trouble. Two hugs and she was already addicted to her blonde dancer again. She'd forgotten how amazing Brittany was at giving hugs. She enfolded herself into Santana every time and the Latina felt blissfully smothered.

She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, making sure that all traces of tears were gone and that she didn't look like she'd had a complete breakdown. She picked up the discarded brown bag and pizza box and unlocked the door.

"Mommy!" Bella squealed once Santana had closed the door.

"Hi, baby," Santana replied with a smile, her daughter's enthusiasm infectious.

"Did you get everything?" Bella asked, pulling down on the brown bag.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Santana teased, grateful that her voice sounded normal.

"No," Bella said slowly, but smiled.

Santana lifted the lid of the big pizza box, smiling at the aroma. "Baby, you sure you want to ruin this perfectly awesome cheese pizza?" she asked, slipping her jacket off and stepping out of her shoes, grateful for the underfloor heating.

"Yes!" Bella said eagerly. "It's an experiment!"

"And what happens if you don't like it?"

Bella paused. She hadn't thought of that.

"I have a suggestion," Santana ventured. "What if we put your topping on one slice and you can see if you like it? That way we don't waste pizza or candy if we don't like it?"

"You're so clever, Mommy," Bella grinned.

Santana rolled her eyes. Normally she'd come back with a retort, but she didn't want Bella to have any extra ammunition to use against her.

She put the ice cream in the freezer and poured her daughter a glass of her favourite purple cooldrink.

"Did people laugh at you, Mommy?" Bella asked innocently, taking a big gulp of cooldrink, leaving her with a purple moustache.

Santana smiled. "No, they all thought I was starting a new fashion trend. I did knock someone over, though."

"Oops."

"Luckily, she was super nice about it. Ok, you're getting the first slice, _mija_."

Santana decorated the biggest slice in the box with Dots and chocolate-covered popcorn, the chocolate almost immediately melting from the heat and running into the cheese. Santana tried not to grimace as she handed her daughter a plate with the candied pizza slice. She watched with great interest as Bella took a tentative bite. After a few chews, her face broke into a smile.

"It's awesome! Try!"

Santana hesitated before taking a bite and had to acknowledge that it wasn't terrible. A soft knock was heard at the door and Bella looked at Santana in confusion, who in turn tried to look nonchalant.

"Don't you wanna answer the door, baby?" she asked.

Bella jumped of the chair and opened the door. She squealed in delight when she saw Brittany standing in the doorway, complete with blue duck pyjamas and an armful of movies.

"Do you think I could crash your party?" Brittany asked Bella.

"Yes! Yes!" Bella yelled, clapping her hands.

"You're not going to ask your mom?' Brittany queried, allowed herself to be pulled inside.

"Nope. I'm in charge tonight."

Santana shook her head and rolled her eyes. She watched as Bella showed Brittany their new brand of pizza and the blonde pretended to never have heard of such amazing toppings before. She smiled at Santana, who returned it warmly. Now she felt better.

They spent the rest of the evening playing games, watching movies, singing and dancing. Santana couldn't remember when last she'd had so much fun. Yes, tonight had been about her reconciling with Bella and making up for a big mistake, but having Brittany over had made it infinitely more fun. Bella and Brittany had discussed many strange things that Santana hadn't even attempted to understand. Brittany and Bella had teamed up against Santana when they'd played Go Fish and even though she'd cottoned on pretty quickly, she let them beat her, even throwing a mini tantrum that an apologetic hug from her daughter had quickly dissipated.

Bella had fallen asleep across the couch as they'd been watching _Toy Story_. Her head was in Santana's lap and her feet were resting in Brittany's. Santana was gently stroking her daughter's head, letting the strands of dark hair fall through her fingers.

"Thank you," Brittany murmured.

"For what?" Santana replied, meeting blue eyes.

"For letting me in."

It was such a simple response, but Santana understood the weight of it. She smiled and nodded.

It was a start. It wasn't perfect – in fact, it was pretty messed up, but it was better than nothing.

* * *

**A/N: Dramarama :) Love it, hate it…it's necessary.**

**Also, I've never actually tried candy on pizza, but let's just pretend I have and it's awesome ;p**

**Love me feedback :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Apologies for my lack of updates – weekends are kinda crazy for me; I'm rarely home. Also, got myself a delicious sports injury so now I have to be off my feet – lucky for all your readers ;)**

**Not sure why, but I find myself craving pizza sprinkled with Dots… :p**

**Thank you SO much for all your reviews! I feel like the luckiest writer out there! :D**

**Mention must be made of Angelinside77 again for the most amazing song that goes perfectly with Santana and Brittany's street scene in the last chapter – Katy Perry's **_**The One That Got Away**_**. Heartbreakingly beautiful :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 22**

Friends. She could do this. They were friends. Just friends. A friend with a daughter. A friend she was in love with. A friend that she wanted more than _anything_ to press up against a wall and fuck senseless. A friend she was dying to hear moan her name in that low, throaty voice of hers.

Brittany groaned and buried her face in her pillow. It was Monday, which meant back to reality after an amazing weekend with Santana and Bella. They hadn't really done anything out of the ordinary. After Friday night's heavy soul baring session and fun evening with the two Lopez's, Saturday had been spent walking around Central Park and impromptu choreographing sessions, which Bella had only too happily contributed to.

Brittany wasn't surprised at how quickly she'd fallen for mini-Santana. She was, after all, pretty much a replica of her mother and Brittany had loved Santana for twenty years of her life. Brittany loved how Santana let her hang out with Bella and didn't need to know what was happening all the time. She didn't check every five minutes to make sure that Bella was ok. She trusted her.

Sunday had been spent just chilling at the Lopez residence. Santana had some papers that needed grading – her lunches and afternoons had been taken up with the musical so she'd fallen behind on her marking. She'd asked Brittany if she wouldn't mind keeping Bella company whilst she worked, to which the dancer had readily agreed.

Brittany had allowed her mind to think of them as a family a few times over the course of that Sunday. Things were so natural. Santana had made them all lunch, they'd all sat around the table and chatted comfortably and Santana had been so relaxed. Brittany _loved_ what motherhood had done to her gorgeous Latina. Back in high school and even when they'd moved to New York, Santana had been the super bitch to everyone, but had been the sweetest, most loving person with Brittany. Now she was like that all the time because of Bella. She couldn't compartmentalise who she was anymore because Bella was her everything.

Brittany's alarm buzzed and she sat up. She'd woken up about thirty minutes before her alarm from a _very_ vivid dream of her and a certain dark-haired, dark-eyed Latina beauty in her classroom. There had been a desk, a chair and very little clothing. Brittany shook her head and sighed. Her sexual frustration was building and there was only so much that her fingers could do. She needed to feel Santana between her legs _so_ badly. Being around her had only increased the insatiable urge of just _wanting _her.

The blonde groaned again. Definitely a cold shower.

* * *

Santana hummed as opened her classroom early that Monday morning. She was relieved that she'd been able to catch up on her grading the previous day. Brittany had been amazing with Bella and her daughter hadn't held it against her at all that she'd had to work.

"Uh, Ms. Lopez?"

Santana looked up at the door and smiled at Hope, one of her students who was on the script writing team.

"Hope, what's up?"

Hope stepped in tentatively. "Uh, I really hate to do this to you, Ms. L, but my parents have told me that I can't be part of the musical anymore."

Santana frowned. "Why not?"

"Well, it's taking up a lot of time and they're afraid my other work is going to suffer."

"Has it?"

"No," Hope said slowly, drawing out the word, "but-"

"But you don't want to go against your parents," Santana finished, nodding in understanding. Her parents hadn't been very happy with her being part of Cheerios _and_ Glee for fear of it adversely affecting her 3.8 GPA, but she hadn't backed down.

Hope shrugged. "I'm really sorry, Ms. L."

Santana smiled. "Don't worry about it. Maybe next year? You definitely have the talent."

Hope beamed and nodded, turning around and walking out of the classroom, almost running into Brittany.

"Hey," Santana greeted with a smile and the dancer yawned upon entry into her classroom. "Whoa. Bella didn't tucker you out yesterday, did she?"

Brittany suddenly flushed and shook her head, looking down.

"What's up?" Santana asked, her brow furrowing at Brittany's unusual response.

"Uh, nothing," Brittany replied quickly. She cleared her throat. "Did Hope come to give you some ideas?"

Santana decided to let Brittany's obvious lie pass and she slumped into her chair. "Quite the opposite, actually. She's pulling out."

"What?"

"Yeah, her parents think she's got too much on her plate."

"Well, I guess that's understandable. I mean, we were pretty involved in school too."

Santana shrugged. "I can't really force her to stay, especially if it's gonna cause shit with her parents. I definitely don't need any parents drama."

Brittany smiled and Santana returned it, her morning brightening at the sight of the blonde's mesmerising smile.

"Don't forget your promise," Brittany said in a lilting voice as she turned around to head to the studio.

Santana rolled her eyes. "I still have till Friday."

Brittany grinned. "We both know that I'm gonna win, so you may as well start writing the script and save everyone some time."

"Sure of yourself, are you?" Santana smirked.

"Oh, always," Brittany replied with a wink. She paused at the door. "Lunch?"

Santana nodded.

"See you then!" Brittany called, disappearing out the door.

The stray thought entered Santana's mind before she could stop it, _I could get used to seeing her every morning._

Santana stood up and walked to the filing cabinet behind her door and perused her lesson plans for the week. Of course, she knew exactly what she was teaching, but she always liked to refresh her mind in case she'd missed a small detail.

"And this is where our soon-to-be head of department, Santana Lopez, spends most of her time," DC said as he walked into Santana's classroom, unaware that she was standing behind the door.

She froze. Soon-to-be head of department? But she'd barely been there a year! She must've heard wrong.

"Hmmm, I could've sworn I saw her walk past my office fifteen minutes ago," DC mused.

"Looking for me?" Santana teased, stepping out from behind the door with a smile.

DC jumped and Santana chuckled. "Too early for surprise attacks, DC?"

The principal grinned. Santana loved the easy, yet respectful relationship she had with him. He'd taken a bit of a risk on her, but she'd delivered ten fold.

"Good morning, Santana," DC said. "I trust you had a good weekend?"

Santana smiled and nodded. "Very, actually."

"That's good to hear. I actually came to introduce you to someone. Santana Lopez, meet Kate Remington, our new English teacher."

Santana hadn't realised that there had been someone standing behind DC until she stepped into Santana's view. She blinked. Twice. Wow.

"She's replacing our dear Mr. Fuller after his unfortunate…misadventure," DC said. "Direct from Yale. We're very lucky to have her."

Santana swallowed and collected herself. She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Smoky brown eyes met hers with a soft smile. "Pleasure," she replied.

Santana smiled back. Wow. Again. This woman was stunning. The Latina didn't often get reduced to speechlessness as a result of a beautiful woman, but this Kate Remington was definitely smoking.

"Welcome to Griffin Hill," Santana said. "I'm sure you'll fit in perfectly here."

"I hope so," Kate replied. Her voice was very melodic. "It'll take me a while to get used to how everything works around here. It's not ideal starting this late in the year, not that I'm complaining," she added quickly with a grateful look in DC's direction. "I had actually almost given up hope of finding a job."

"Well, I think we can expect some great teamwork from the two of you," DC said, clapping his hands. "Santana, do you think you could find some time to get Kate acquainted with the syllabus and where we stand right now?"

"Uh, I'd love to help you out, DC, but I'm pretty swamped with the musical and getting finals prepared," Santana apologised. "Did Mr. Fuller not have his own lesson plans?"

"Well, they're not exactly as comprehensive as yours," DC replied.

"Well, thank you, but I've already committed to the musical with Britt and I've invested too much into it to turn my back on it now." _Not to mention it would mean less time with Brittany_. "I can see how things go this week and maybe we can sort something out next week?"'

DC pulled his mouth in an odd way that Santana knew to mean that he wasn't very pleased, but was too much of a nice guy to actually say it. Remembering what she'd overheard, she made a decision.

"You know what?" she said quickly. "I'll talk to Brittany. I'm sure she can man the fort for a few days whilst I get Ms. Remington up to speed on things. The two of us run the whole thing together anyway. She knows exactly where I stand."

DC nodded and smiled. "Excellent. Ms. Remington, I will bid you adieu at this juncture and leave you in the very capable hands of Santana."

"DC, you've been reading those romance novels again, haven't you?" Santana teased, walking back to her desk.

The principal laughed loudly as he walked out the door.

"Ok, so why don't you start by telling me about what Fuller's lesson plans told you?" Santana suggested, sitting in her chair and stacking her plans for the day in the right corner.

"Well, Mr. DeCosta wasn't exactly exaggerating when he said that Mr. Fuller's plans were…incomprehensive."

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I'll email you what I've got planned for this week, but we don't teach the same literature so the actual content will be different, but you can always use the format, if you'd like."

"Sure," Kate said, smiling.

Santana smiled back and flipped her laptop open. She chuckled quietly as her background loaded. Brittany had obviously changed it without her knowing. It was a picture of Bella and Brittany pulling their best pouts at the camera. Santana hated that they both knew her ultimate weakness and wouldn't think twice about using it against her.

"What an awesome background," Kate commented.

Santana smiled. "Yeah. I'd take credit, but this is the first time I'm seeing it."

"She looks like your daughter," Kate ventured.

Santana went into her documents and nodded. "She is."

"And the blonde is your partner?"

Santana froze.

_Firstly, that's pretty impressive gaydar. Second, do Britt and I look like a couple? Third, why did my heart flutter at the thought of someone else, a stranger, assuming that?_

"Uh," Santana stammered.

"Oh, got it," Kate said, putting a hand up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Santana smiled weakly. No one at Griffin Hill knew about her and Brittany's history other than they'd gone to the same high school and she was quite happy to keep it at that. Not that she was afraid of what her principal and colleagues would think, because that was something that never bothered her – she just didn't think that it was any of their business. Schools were just as bad as any other business when it came to in-house gossip.

"What's your email address?" Santana asked, changing the subject completely.

Kate told her and there was an uncomfortable silence.

"Um, look, Santana, I hope that my assumption didn't make you uncomfortable," Kate apologised softly. "I sometimes let my mouth run away with me and the last thing I want to do is make a bad impression on my first day."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," Santana said, leaving it at that.

"Ok," Kate replied, her voice a little unsure.

"The plans should be popping up in your inbox," the Latina said, turning around and leaning back in her chair.

"Um, thanks," Kate muttered. "So I'll see you after school?"

Santana nodded. Kate turned around slowly and walked out the door. Santana frowned after her.

* * *

"The new chick's staring at you," Brittany whispered as she and Santana ate their lunch in the faculty lounge.

Normally, she and Santana would meet either in Santana's classroom or in the dance studio, but the Latina had needed to make photocopies which had altered their lunch venue.

Santana glanced at the new teacher, who quickly ducked her gaze, instead focusing on what one of the History teachers next to her was talking about.

Brittany watched Santana's disinterested glance from the new teacher back to her chicken salad.

"Ok, what was that?" she asked, holding up her hand.

"What?"

"You totally dismissed her."

Santana shrugged. "She's the new English teacher. I met her this morning."

"Oooh, dish," Brittany smiled, leaning forward. "What's the word on the new chick?"

Santana sighed in exasperation and Brittany leaned back, sensing an outburst. Luckily, the Latina seemed to remember where she was and swallowed any words she may have had.

"San," Brittany said softly. "Did she say or do something? I haven't seen you like this since I told you about putting our sex tape on the web."

"Jesus, Britt, think you could keep it down?" Santana hissed, glancing around her.

"Ok, what is this? I feel like I'm back in high school. Could you please explain to me what's going on?"

Santana sighed and dropped the fork into the salad. "Not here. Let's go to the studio?"

Brittany nodded and grabbed her bag, letting Santana go ahead of her out of the faculty lounge. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the new chick staring at Santana again and she felt a flame in her chest.

Jealousy.

No one should look at her Santana like that.

_But she's not your Santana_.

Brittany sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. That was the worst part of the whole thing. Anyone could look at Santana and she could look back because she and Brittany were_ just friends_. She could date and fall in love with someone else and Brittany would have to sit back and take it because she'd promised she wasn't going to leave. Even if it broke her heart fifty times a day, she'd be there for Santana, and if that capacity remained in the realms of friendship then she'd take it.

God, she really hoped that things wouldn't turn out like that though. She missed Santana terribly. She missed holding her, cuddling with her, just being able to openly stare at her with a stupid smile on her face because she didn't care if everyone in the world knew that she was in love with Santana Lopez and proudly so.

"B?"

Santana's fingers brushed against Brittany's arm and she flinched, not expecting the contact. Santana's dark eyes looked at her curiously.

"Are you ok?"

Brittany blinked. They were outside the studio. Brittany didn't even remember how she'd got there. She took a breath and ignored Santana's question, walking past her and into the big room.

"Ok, I know I'm being cryptic, but why are you flat out refusing to tell me what's going on with you?" Santana snapped, following the blonde inside.

Brittany put her bag down in its usual corner and started stretching in front of the mirror.

"Dammit, Brittany, answer me!"

Brittany let her head drop. "I can't."

"Why not? I thought we were friends?" Santana stood next to her.

"We are…that's why I can't tell you."

Santana frowned. "Britt, that makes no sense."

"Look, San, I'm being what you need me to be," Brittany said quickly. "And being your _friend_ means that there are some things that I might think about that you, as my _friend_, would be uncomfortable knowing."

Santana blinked in surprise and slow understanding came into her eyes.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I didn't realise."

Brittany shrugged and continued her stretching. "You shouldn't have to know. It's my issue. You don't have to deal with it."

"But…"

Brittany looked at the Latina's reflection in the mirror expectantly, but nothing more came out. The blonde sighed.

"Don't worry about it, San, ok? Um, I need to warm up."

She wasn't trying to be rude or cold, but she was finding it very difficult trying to control herself around Santana. And the last thing she wanted was to frighten the Latina. So if she had to distance herself from time to time to deal with her feelings, then Santana needed to respect that. It's not like she was ignorant of Brittany's feelings.

Santana just stared at Brittany, their eyes locking through the mirror. Brittany could see the conflict raging behind those beautiful dark eyes, but she wasn't about to press Santana for anything. She would have to come to her decisions herself. Brittany would hate to be made to feel responsible for forcing her into something that she clearly wasn't ready for.

The Latina stepped towards Brittany, causing the blonde to furrow her brow in confusion. Santana stepped in front of her and stood on her tiptoes, slipping her arms around Brittany's neck.

_Oh my God. Shit._

Brittany's heart rate skyrocketed and she started breathing a little quicker. This was absolutely the worst thing that could happen at that moment. Not the way she was feeling.

"I trust you," Santana said softly. "You are my friend, B, and I treasure that more than you'll know. I didn't understand how hard this was for you, how much you're sacrificing to be what I need you to be."

"It's-"

"Thank you," Santana interrupted. "Having you back in my life is the best thing that's happened to me since Bella."

Brittany just stared into Santana's eyes. Her arms tightened around the taller girl's neck and she pulled her into a tight embrace. Brittany closed her eyes in relief and wrapped her arms around Santana's waist.

Hugs were fine. She could do hugs. Santana had always loved her hugs. Maybe Brittany could get rid of some of her pent up tension through hugging Santana. They stood wrapped tightly together for a while before Santana's arms loosened slightly. She pulled back and dropped slowly back onto her heels.

_Shit! Crap!_

They were still really close. Like _really_ close. So close that Brittany could see her individual eyelashes. So close that she could see the grooves in her lips.

_Don't look at her lips, idiot!_

Santana let out a quick breath and it fluttered across Brittany's lips, causing a rush of heat to run down her body. She swallowed the groan that rose up in the back of her throat.

Neither of them moved. Whether it was because they couldn't or wouldn't was immaterial. Brittany held onto some miraculous self-control that had appeared out of nowhere because she wanted nothing more than to close the gap between their lips.

Santana's eyes were flitting between Brittany's eyes and her lips and the blonde could see the want in her eyes.

_Why won't she go for it? Why won't she just kiss me? I can't push her over that boundary._

Santana moved a millimetre closer, then another, and another. And then the bell rang.

* * *

Santana's eyes snapped up to Brittany's blue ones, slightly darker with very clear desire. She stepped back.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God. I almost kissed her!_

"Um." Santana's voice was shaky and she quickly dropped her arms from around Brittany's neck, the blonde returning the favour and releasing her grip around Santana's waist.

_Oh God, oh God. I _really_ want to kiss her_.

"It's ok, San," Brittany said softly. "We're friends."

Santana wished that she didn't know Brittany so well that she could detect the underlying pain in that simple statement. She knew how Brittany felt. She knew how _she_ felt. Brittany just didn't know how she felt and she wasn't exactly doing a good job of hiding that. A few tender moments in the blonde's presence and she was just a girl in love, wanting to give herself completely to her soul mate.

But she couldn't. She _couldn't_. She was protecting herself. She was protecting Bella. Was she being petty? Was she being stupid? Was she being unreasonable? Maybe. A lot of people would consider her a fool for not taking Brittany back. It wasn't like she hadn't confessed her love and promised not to leave again, but that nagging feeling of abandonment just refused to leave Santana alone and she was pretty sure that it was the _only_ thing stopping her from pushing Brittany up against the full length mirror and kissing her six ways from Sunday.

Santana broke away from Brittany completely, lowering her gaze. Those blue orbs were too damn alluring and Santana's resolve was already weak.

_You want to kiss her_.

God, did she want to kiss Brittany. So damn badly. But she wouldn't. She shook her head slightly and backed away from Brittany. The blonde didn't look in her direction, instead turning and facing the mirror.

Santana walked away and paused at the door, glancing back at Brittany, whose eyes were closed.

"I love you," Santana whispered voicelessly, before turning around and walking out.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I suck. I **_**promise**_** the next chapter is gonna have some fluffy times, some…slightly smutty times, perhaps? ;)**

**And before you bite my head off, I already have the next chapter ready…ish. So update should be quick.**

**Feedback please :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Awww, you guys don't hate me :) Yay :) Right, so **_**this**_** chapter…a **_**lot**_** is gonna go down. I may not explain or elaborate on everything in this chapter, but never fear that it shall be covered :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 23**

Brittany smiled at the last few students leaving the studio. She was expecting her dancers for the musical any minute. And Santana.

She knew Santana had convinced herself that a relationship with Brittany was a bad idea. Brittany, of course, disagreed wholeheartedly, but she wouldn't ever say anything.

She heard her phone go off and checked it to see a message from Santana.

_Have to play nice with the new girl and show her the ropes. Cover me? Sorry._

Brittany frowned. She had no reason to doubt Santana, but she couldn't help but wonder if the Latina had organised the tutorial with the new girl before or after lunch.

"Hey, Ms. P," two girls called in greeting as they entered the studio.

Brittany smiled and waved, turning her phone off and dropping it back into her bag. Maybe Santana's absence from that afternoon's practice wasn't such a bad thing.

* * *

"Ok, so we're sorted for the next two weeks?" Santana clarified, double-checking her weekly plans.

"I think so," Kate replied, leaning over slightly to compare her schedule to Santana's.

The Latina sat back slightly, feeling a little crowded by Kate's slight invasion of personal space. Sure, the woman was gorgeous, but there was something unsettling about her that Santana couldn't put her finger on. From an early age, Santana had been a pro bullshit detector and her radar was blinking on the new English teacher.

"Yup, we're good to go," Kate said, standing up and stretching.

Santana kept her eyes trained on the papers in front of her and she stacked them.

"So what do beautiful, single women do for fun in this city?" Kate asked suddenly.

Santana stiffened and looked up. Kate was looking at her in a decidedly unprofessional manner.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I have responsibilities that limit my social activities."

"Can't someone babysit your daughter or something?" Kate pressed with a cocky smile.

Santana's eyes narrowed. "Ok, new girl, let me break this down for you. We are colleagues. You do not ask, comment or insinuate anything about my family or my social activities, got it?"

Kate nodded, but smirked. "I don't give up that easily, Santana."

Santana rolled her eyes. There was the reason her crazy lights had gone off. "I hope you enjoy being disappointed, then."

"I'm rarely disappointed," Kate replied, cocking her head. "I seem to find a way of always getting my way."

"Well then you're definitely going to enjoy being disappointed," Santana said, pulling out her phone and sending a quick 911 text to Brittany. Regardless of whatever had gone down between them (_mind _out_ of the gutter, Santana!_) during lunch, Santana knew she could count on the blonde to come to her aid when needed.

However, ten minutes later, there was no sign of Brittany and Santana was beginning to get desperate. She'd tried every conceivable excuse to leave, but Kate had expertly turned every one into a reason to stay.

"Ok, you know what?" Santana said, finally snapping. "_This_ is never gonna happen. So quit with the clever words and flirty comments, all right? Not. Going. To. Happen."

Kate just smiled and picked up her folder and her bag. "You might feel differently after a few weeks, San."

The Latina froze. "Don't call me that."

"What? San? I like calling you that."

"Don't," Santana said through gritted teeth. "There is only _one_ person in this world who's allowed to call me that and don't think I won't punch your teeth out if you push the issue."

"But I like pushing,' Kate said, leaning on the desk.

_What the fuck, Lopez? Where's the girl from Lima Heights? Did you lose her when you forgot your balls back in the dance studio?_

Great, her conscience had become a crass potty mouth.

"I push back and I'm not shy to get dirty," Santana said, not realising how her words sounded.

"Just my kind of woman," Kate purred.

_Fuck!_

"Kate, seriously. You need to remember where you are. This is a _school_."

"I can do kinky. Never pegged you for that, though."

Santana shook her head and walked to her desk. She dropped the punch she'd just picked up when she felt someone standing _very_ close behind her.

"Back off," she said warningly.

"But you don't really want me to."

"Yeah, I _really_ do."

"Even when I do this?" Kate said huskily, running her fingertips up Santana's hips.

The Latina hated how her body reacted to the sensual touch. But she still felt ill. Only one person should ever be allowed to touch her body like that.

"Stop," Santana said, grabbing Kate's hands and pushing them away. "I really would advise you to walk out of my classroom right now."

"Or what?"

"Or you may leave with a black eye."

"I like it rough."

"Kate, for fuck's sakes, just get out!" Santana shouted, whirling around.

Wow, Kate was _much_ closer than she'd thought, but Santana held her gaze firm. Kate's eyes ran down and across the Latina's lips and she bit her own, but Santana wasn't falling for it. Besides the fact that it was completely unprofessional and this chick was batshit crazy, it was _creepy_. How many different ways did people need to hear the word 'no' before they actually listened?

"You don't want me to go."

"Yes, I really do."

"I think-"

"_I _think you should listen to her," a strong voice said from the doorway.

Santana closed her eyes and silently thanked Brittany a million times. She opened her eyes and saw Kate turning towards the blonde dancer standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes blazing with anger.

Santana had only ever seen Brittany really angry a handful of times in her life and the last time had been when they'd broken up.

"The infamous Brittany," Kate smirked. "I was wondering how long it would be before you showed up."

Brittany didn't say anything, but caught Santana's gaze. They had a quick silent conversation.

_Are you ok?_

_Not really. She's fucking crazy!_

_Get your shit and follow me._

Santana turned around and grabbed her bag, not really caring if she left anything behind.

"Where are you going?" Kate purred, running her fingers up Santana's exposed arm.

"_We're_ going home," Brittany said firmly, stepping in and linking her fingers with Santana.

Santana tried her best not to look surprised and excited. She also hoped that the rush of heat that flowed through her at the feeling of Brittany's fingers entwined with hers again, wasn't as painfully obvious as she felt it was.

Kate's brow furrowed as she saw their locked hands. "I thought-"

"You thought wrong," Brittany said, squeezing Santana's hand in a silent motion for her to back her up.

"As I told you before, in various ways and means, my work life and my social life are very separate. Which is why you wouldn't know. Besides that fact that neither of us would have ever said anything anyway and also, it doesn't happen to be any of your business."

Another squeeze from Brittany acknowledged her approval.

Kate raised an eyebrow and grabbed her bag. "Don't think that I'm fooled. You guys have history, that much I know. But I'm not often wrong, and I'd know a couple when I see one. And I don't see one."

Santana's jaw clenched. This chick was seriously pissing on her battery.

"I guess that's your problem seeing as how we don't give a fuck what you think, new girl," Brittany said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Come on, San. Bella's waiting for you."

"Oh, so _she's _the only one who can call you San," Kate said, clapping her hands at the realisation. "That is just too precious."

Santana rolled her eyes and pulled Brittany to the door. She still didn't know how she was even still there. Maybe her conscience was right and she'd lost her badass mojo.

"Keep pretending," Brittany whispered so that only Santana could hear. "She's gonna follow us."

Santana nodded and stepped closer to Brittany, briefly allowing her head to rest on the dancer's shoulder. Brittany turned her head and placed a feather kiss on Santana's head. The Latina took in a sharp breath and tried to calm her racing heart at the contact.

They arrived at the dance studio and, once inside, Brittany let Santana's hand go. She immediately wanted the feeling of the dancer's hands in her own again.

"Thanks," she muttered, looking down at her feet.

"For what?" Brittany asked, walking over to her bag and picking it up.

"For coming to my rescue," Santana replied. "I was so scared you wouldn't because of…what happened at lunch."

"Uh, San, I'd love to take credit, but I have no idea what you're talking about," Brittany said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I came to ask you about the script and heard that crazy chick."

"You didn't come because of my text?" Santana tried hard not to sound hurt.

"Oh. I turned my phone off."

_She didn't want to talk to you_.

"What is that chick's problem?" Brittany asked.

Santana sighed. "If I knew, maybe I would've been able to figure out a way to get rid of her sooner."

"Why didn't you just walk out?"

"It's _my_ classroom. Why should I be forced to leave my workspace because some psycho can't take a fucking hint?"

Brittany angled her head as she contemplated. "Well, what are you going to do about her? Are you going to tell DC?"

"I don't know," Santana sighed. "Honestly, I just want to go and get my little girl and go home."

Brittany smiled. "Let me cook for you two tonight. I never did get to thank you for the awesome weekend."

Santana smiled. "Britt, that actually sounds so perfect."

Brittany grinned and nudged Santana's shoulder with her arm as they walked out of the studio and headed to the exit.

* * *

Brittany glanced up at the clock in her studio. Lunchtime on Wednesday. Santana had another meeting with the psycho bitch from hell. She hadn't wanted Brittany to worry, but the blonde was hardly going to sit back and let the crazy new girl make Santana's life difficult. Her Latina had worked too hard at the life she had with Bella to have it all shot to hell.

And yes, Santana _was_ her Latina. Regardless of the fact that they weren't together, Brittany loved her with everything she was and the brief moments that they'd shared on Monday had sent Brittany's heart soaring.

How their hands had so easily fit together again, how their fingers knew exactly how to move against each other's, how they walked in proximity to each other, how Santana had laid her head on Brittany's shoulder, and how Brittany had allowed herself one small joy with a soft kiss on Santana's head.

Oddly enough, that small show of affection from Brittany had eased some of the tension she'd been dealing with regarding the beautiful brunette. She'd been afraid that kissing her and holding her hand might've opened some floodgates that she'd be unable to close, but she'd found herself falling to sleep with relative ease that night. Granted, she'd spent the evening with Santana and Bella, and that always put a smile on her face.

_You also fell asleep only _after_ rubbing one out to her._

Brittany pulled a face. God, her conscience was gross. But…not entirely wrong. There wasn't anything wrong with masturbating to the love of your life, right? She had found that she fell asleep easier after releasing some tension. And it wasn't like she disappeared every five minutes like a horny teenager.

Brittany grabbed a bottle of water and took a slow walk down to Santana's classroom. She leaned against the wall outside and just listened carefully to the conversation inside. It _sounded_ like they were just talking about school stuff so Brittany relaxed.

Santana hadn't exactly _asked_ her to keep up the charade of them being together, but she hadn't said anything about stopping it either. And for completely selfish reasons, Brittany wanted so badly to keep pretending.

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

Brittany froze at Kate's soft question. The new girl had kept her distance since Monday, but still Brittany got a really creepy vibe from her.

"Kate, don't start this again." Santana's voice held that strong warning tone. Brittany used to love hearing her using it as she dished out insults to anyone who had even dared to look at her or Brittany in the wrong way.

"It's just a question, Santana."

_Yeah, right_.

"I think we're done here. I've got some things I need to discuss with B-"

"With your _girlfriend_?" Kate interrupted, stressing the last word.

Santana didn't say anything and Brittany took that as her cue. She could play the _shit_ out of the knight in shining armour shtick she had going on.

"Hey, San!" the blonde said brightly as she strode in.

"Britt!" Santana said with a smile. "This is a nice surprise."

Brittany strode past where Kate was looking at her suspiciously and plopped herself in Santana's lap, wrapping her arms around her neck in a hug.

"I'm not gonna do anything, don't worry," she whispered softly in the Latina's ear.

Santana's arms went around Brittany's waist and squeezed in thanks.

"You know, Kate," Brittany said, playing with Santana's hair and keeping her eyes on the Latina's face. "If I wasn't such an amazingly understanding girlfriend, I might be jealous that you're taking up my lunch hour with Santana every day."

Santana smiled and leaned her head softly against Brittany's shoulder. The blonde could feel the tension in her shoulders slowly dissipate as she ran her fingers across Santana's back.

"Well, Santana hasn't done anything to make you jealous, has she?' Kate asked sweetly.

"She could never," Brittany said with a smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind Santana's ear and looked into her eyes. "I love her."

Santana's dark eyes sparkled and she smiled back. Brittany leaned forward and pressed her lips against Santana's forehead. She lingered longer than she probably should've and she felt Santana's fingers dig into her waist a little.

She pulled away and smiled down at the love of her life. Screw pretending. This was real. The way they were looking at each other couldn't be faked. The feelings, the touching, it was all real.

"I'll see you after school?" Brittany asked Santana softly.

Santana nodded softly and Brittany got off her lap, but Santana stood up with her, taking her hand and leading her to the door.

"I'm walking you out," she said with a small smile. "And also," she added in a whisper, "I wanted to thank you. I don't know how you always seem to know when I need you, but you're always there."

Brittany shrugged and squeezed her hand. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere, San."

"I know." Santana looked down. "I'd like you to come out to dinner with us."

"You and Bella?" Brittany asked, nodding.

"Yeah," Santana said slowly, biting her lip. "And everyone else."

Brittany stiffened. Everyone else. That meant Rachel and Finn and Blaine and _Kurt_. Santana had mentioned on a few occasions that Kurt was very against the two of them being friends again.

"Uh…"

"Please?" Santana asked softly, her eyes pleading. "I hate having these two separate lives. Bella doesn't understand it and I hate that I have to check what I say around Kurt."

"Look, don't worry about Kurt," Brittany whispered, taking Santana's other hand. "He and I will have our little chat. I'd love to go to dinner with all of you."

"Ok," Santana said, relieved.

Brittany leaned forward conspiratorially. "I'm gonna hug you really tightly now, ok?"

Santana giggled and wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck pulling her close. Brittany enveloped the smaller Latina in her embrace, burying her face in her neck, breathing deeply. The scent of Santana, possibly the best smell in the world. Well…there was another smell that was distinctively Santana…

Brittany opened her eyes and caught Kate's narrowed gaze. She was trying to look busy, but couldn't help glancing at Brittany and Santana every few seconds.

_That's right, bitch. You ain't getting your claws into this one._

Brittany pulled away reluctantly. She could honestly stay wrapped up in Santana forever. She'd managed a week before, their spring break of senior year…They'd only left the bed to go to the bathroom and to answer the door for room service.

"What are you thinking about?" Santana asked with a smile.

"Uh…" Brittany blushed, looking down.

"Tell me," Santana encouraged.

Brittany looked up and met Santana's curious gaze. "Spring break in that hotel in Columbus."

Santana's widened and she also looked down in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Brittany apologised softly. "I'm gonna go, ok? I'll see you later?"

Santana nodded, not meeting her blue eyes. Brittany squeezed her hands once more before dropping them and walking out of the classroom.

* * *

Santana peeked around the door and watched as Brittany walked away. Almost as though she could sense that she was being watched, the blonde turned around and winked at Santana before shaking her ass and continuing her walk down the hall.

Santana chuckled and stepped back in. Kate put her hands together in a slow clap.

"Bravo," she said sarcastically. "I mean, really. That was Oscar-winning stuff."

Santana rolled her eyes. "We're done here."

Kate stood up and followed Santana to her desk. "Obviously, Blondie's got it bad for you, but you are _not_ together. I don't know jack shit about your history, but I know that."

"You've mentioned your delusions before," Santana said dismissively.

"You two can pretend all you want," Kate said, sounding a lot closer than Santana was comfortable with.

"We're not pretending," Santana replied honestly. She truly felt that. Brittany wasn't pretending to love Santana, she really did, and Santana knew that the blonde knew her well enough to know that she loved being around Brittany again. The subtle touches, the looks, the soft kisses, Santana loved them all. Of course, it was more for the benefit of convincing psycho bitch that she wasn't interested – they would never have done any of those things otherwise, but regardless of _why_ they were doing them, they weren't pretending. It was real.

Santana started humming, deciding to tune Kate out. If she didn't start backing off, Santana may just have to take matters to DC. She didn't want to, but she wasn't about to work in a permanently tense environment.

Three days ago, that tense environment would be caused by a beautiful blonde dancer, but that beautiful blonde dancer had been her saviour and if anyone had told Santana that she'd be cuddling with Brittany, she would've laughed them off. Strangely, it didn't feel weird at all. It felt natural. It felt right.

So why couldn't she just take the plunge?

* * *

Friday came around and Santana was stressing. Her script team hadn't given her _anything_ and that pretty much meant that she was now responsible for writing _and_ directing the show. She hadn't seen Brittany the whole day, so the blonde hadn't been able to rub it in Santana's face that she'd gotten her way.

On the upside, she could tell DC that Kate was up to speed and she wouldn't have to spend any one-on-one time with her anymore. Brittany had made an appearance the previous day, but there hadn't been any touching, just glances that made them both feel as though they _were_ touching.

Another reason for her to be freaking out was the impending dinner that night. She wasn't nervous for herself, but she was nervous for Britt. Kurt could be a real bitch, especially when it involved something that he was stubborn about.

"You're being ridiculous," Santana muttered to herself. "Brittany knows how to take care of herself. Besides, look how quickly you forgave her. Your friends will be cake."

Well, Rachel, Finn and Blaine would be cake. Kurt, maybe not so much. Santana's phone buzzed on her table and she read the message from Brittany with a smile.

_D-Day! You owe me a script, Ms. Lopez._

Santana chuckled as she typed out a reply.

_I was wondering how long it was going to take for you to come collecting. Guess I've got some work to do this weekend._

Brittany's response was swift.

_Now things can really get going on this musical. I'm super excited! :)_

Santana giggled and went back to her reading. She loved how things were between her and Britt. As odd as it sounded, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. They were becoming how they used to be around each other. Brittany was naturally an affectionate person and Santana knew that it had been really hard for her to keep her distance when they first decided to be friends.

* * *

Santana scrunched up another piece of paper and threw it onto the chair next to her. There was a growing pile and Santana was getting more and more frustrated. Brittany was busy with the dancers, Mrs. Spencer was with the singers and Santana, the writer and director was struggling to find something to base the entire fucking show on.

Santana groaned and let her head fall on the desk. She couldn't do this. Who was she kidding? She couldn't write a _whole_ fucking script to a show that didn't even have a story yet.

"Writer's block?" Brittany asked from behind Santana.

Santana subtly nodded and kept her head on the desk. She felt two strong hands on her shoulder as Brittany started to massage her tense muscles.

"That feels really nice," Santana mumbled.

"Do you remember that script you wrote about the Glee Club in junior year?"

Santana chuckled. "Yes, that was _so_ terrible."

"No! It wasn't! San, it was amazing. You're a really great writer and you had this great material to work with right in front of you. You just took it and translated it and it came out great."

Santana put a hand on Brittany's to halt her ministrations and lifted her head. Brittany sat down in the chair next to her and leaned forward on her knees.

"You're not just saying that cos I'm the director, right?" Santana teased, but really needed to hear validation.

"Santana, you know I don't lie."

"Yeah." Santana took a deep breath. "So you think I should write a musical about our Glee Club?"

Brittany nodded enthusiastically. "And you know what's awesome? Everyone in our old Glee Club could be someone from different groups, like it really was!"

Santana sat back thoughtfully. It was definitely something she could write. And it could be applied to the same cliques that Santana had seen in Griffin Hill, probably even more so due to its private school status.

"Ok," she said with a smile, nodding. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" Brittany cheered. "San, this is going to be amazing! We can use some of the mash ups we did! Oh, and I can totally spice up some of Mr. Schue's stone age dances. Oh!" Brittany's eyes lit up. "We _have_ to do the dinosaur prom."

Santana chuckled. "Sure, Britt. Why don't we talk about it tomorrow? Come over and we can brainstorm which numbers we wanna put in."

"But, you're the writer. I don't write really well."

"I'll still write it, but I can use both our ideas."

"Ok," Brittany said with a wide smile. "We should celebrate!"

"Ok, doing what?"

"We should go out tonight! All of us."

"We are. We're going to dinner," Santana said in amusement.

"No, I mean after. I really wanna go dancing with you, San. I miss that."

"Uh…" Santana paused.

Her track record of clubs wasn't great. First her one night stand then watching Britt all over another chick.

"I won't even drink," Brittany added softly.

"Well," Santana said slowly, "I mean, our dancing was never really…_just_ friends."

"Oh." Brittany bit her lip. "You have a point. But I can control myself. Can you?"

Blue eyes dove right into hers and Santana swallowed. Could she? Did she even want to?

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so no smut **_**this**_** chapter. SORRY! Hope you enjoy it :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: WHY do people think that I was gonna bring Bella's father back into the picture? EEEEEEWWWWW!**

**Reviewers have mentioned they're missing Bella. Never fear! Plenty of Britanella action coming up during the highly-anticipated dinner :)**

**Also, so glad you guys are loving the sexual tension :)**

**And P to the S, smut isn't everything, people…. #justsaying**

**Lastly, a shout out to one of my readers who needs a pick me up: hangover1111, you ROCK! :D**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 24**

Brittany checked her small purse for the tenth time, making sure that she had everything. She looked at her reflection in her hallway mirror and swallowed. She didn't think she'd ever been so nervous in her life. She'd been to Nationals countless times, she'd danced next to frigging Justin Timberlake and even ground up against him in one particular move. She'd had lunch with Madonna.

But she'd _never_ been this nervous. It wasn't a date with Santana – she knew that. That wasn't what was making her heart pound in her hands clammy. It was seeing her old friends after so many years, and dealing with their feelings towards her, especially regarding the break up.

Santana had told her not to worry, that everything would be fine because she wouldn't let them interrogate her. That had made Brittany smile a bit because it was so like Santana to be that protective of her.

She looked at her phone. She was supposed to meet Santana and Bella at their apartment at six-thirty. It was still six-twenty. Brittany had been dressed (after changing her outfit about seven times) and ready since just after six. She checked her makeup and painted on a fresh coat of lip-gloss after ruining the last one with all the lip biting and nervous licking.

She felt her phone vibrate in her hand and almost dropped it. She opened a message from Santana.

_Come on down. You don't have to wait._

How in the hell had she known that? Brittany shook her head. If it weren't something that she did as well, she would've been really freaked out. But that was just how they operated.

Brittany picked up her keys, her phone and checked her reflection one more time before grabbing a thin jacket and heading out the door.

* * *

Santana was humming along to Bella's music playing on her iHome as she finished off her makeup in the bathroom. She heard a knock at the door and Bella yelling that she would get it. Santana smiled at her reflection. Her daughter loved it when Brittany spent time with them. She finally had someone that _got_ what she was into. Not that Santana hadn't tried, but she had to admit that she faked it a lot. With Brittany, she was pretty sure that it was one hundred percent natural.

"Wow, Big B, you look super pretty," Santana heard Bella say in amazement.

Her breath caught in her throat.

_Crap. Forgot that dressing up was going to make things difficult._

"Aw, thanks, Little B, but I couldn't possibly look prettier than you," Brittany replied.

"Kurt made it," Bella said proudly.

"Awesome."

Only Santana picked up the sudden nervous lilt to Brittany's voice. She really, _really_ hoped that her friends, especially Kurt, would take it easy on Brittany. They, well, mostly Kurt and Rachel, hadn't been very happy about Brittany's inclusion in their dinner, but Santana had stood firm, saying that if Brittany wasn't welcome, then she and Bella would be staying home. Ok, so she felt a _little_ guilty for using Bella to get them to agree. She knew that they would always cave if it meant they didn't get to see their favourite little Lopez.

Santana gave herself a last once over before she walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom.

She heard a soft 'wow' as she crossed the hallway and smiled to herself. One of the reasons she enjoyed the dinners with her friends was that it was always at some swanky restaurant, which meant she got to dress up. And she wasn't about to deny that she may have been a little excited to dress up for a certain blonde. They'd only ever seen each other in their work clothes and casual clothes. She also had to admit that she was _more_ than a little nervous about seeing Brittany dressed up.

Santana grabbed her jacket from the bed and took a deep breath before walking into the living room. She met Brittany's eyes and smiled at how the blonde's mouth fell open. She saw blue eyes rake up and down her entire body and she let out an involuntary shiver. No matter what she was wearing, Brittany's gaze could always make her feel like she wasn't wearing anything. It was exhilarating and nerve-wracking and incredibly sexy all at the same time.

"Uh, you look…um…"

Santana's smile widened at Brittany's inability to form words. She stood up and it was Santana's turn to let her mouth fall open. Wow didn't even begin to describe how amazingly gorgeous Brittany looked. She was wearing red, a colour she didn't often wear because Santana enjoyed wearing it more. The dress was soft, but tucked in all the right places.

_Holy Jesus, does it _have_ to be so fucking short?_

Santana lifted her eyes to Brittany's amused ones and she blushed. She quickly pulled down on her equally short and very tight midnight blue dress. Her heels were bigger than Brittany's, so they were more an equal height as opposed to Brittany always having the advantage.

"You look beautiful," Santana eventually murmured.

"So do you,' Brittany replied with a grin. "Sorry, I must've lost my tongue."

"I'm sure it's on the floor somewhere," Santana couldn't help but tease.

Brittany chuckled. "Are we really gonna play that game tonight?"

Santana shrugged her jacket on. "Yeah, that's probably not a good idea. You ready, baby?"

Bella jumped off the couch and nodded with a smile.

"Look at us three gorgeous, sexy ladies going out on the town," Brittany declared. "People are going to think we're celebrities!"

"One of us already is," Santana countered, taking Bella's hand and walking to the door.

Bella looked up at Brittany, her eyes wide. "You're famous?" she asked in awe.

Brittany gave Santana a 'Did you really have to mention that?' look and the Latina shrugged with a smile. She opened the door and the walk downstairs was dominated by Bella firing questions at Brittany.

By the time their cab got to the restaurant, Bella had demanded that Santana get all the seasons of _Dancing With The Stars_ that Brittany had been on. Santana paid the cab driver and they piled out onto the pavement. The Latina turned to the blonde and saw her become visibly more nervous.

"Hey," she said softly, running her fingers down her arm. "It's going to be ok."

"They have every reason to hate me, San," Brittany replied, her eyes sad. "I hurt you so badly. Why should they trust me again?"

"Because I do."

"But you don't trust me with your heart, Santana. And that's kinda the point here, don't you think?"

Santana didn't have an answer to that. Was that really what was keeping them apart? A question of trust? Santana trusted with everything else in her life, even the thing that meant the absolute most to her.

"Mommy, can we go inside?" Bella asked, looking at her mother in confusion. "Did you go somewhere again?"

Santana smiled down apologetically at her daughter and squeezed her hand. "I did for a little bit, baby, but I'm back now. Let's go inside."

* * *

Brittany couldn't stop staring all around her. She'd been to some pretty fancy places before, but she had no idea that such places existed in New York. Granted, she'd seldom had reason to come to restaurants like this whilst in New York.

"It's so fancy," she whispered to Bella. "I know I'm gonna mess up. Don't you need to be like a princess or something to eat here?"

Bella giggled and Brittany couldn't help but smile at the similarity it held to Santana's. She glanced at the beautiful Latina walking on the other side of Bella. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her tight dress really wasn't helping Brittany's self-control when it came to keeping her feelings on the down low.

"Thank you," she heard Santana say to the maitre'd as they arrived at a big round table.

Bella sat down between Brittany and Santana, which the blonde was kind of ok with. It just meant that she wasn't sure who'd be sitting in the other side of her.

"Baby, would you mind swapping with Brittany?" Santana asked.

Brittany looked at the Latina in surprise, but the look on her face told her that she knew exactly what Brittany was afraid of and was just trying to make things as easy as possible.

"Don't you wanna sit next to me, Mommy?" Bella asked, sounding hurt.

Brittany shot Santana a look that told her she'd deal with it. Santana nodded once.

"Hey," Brittany said softly, slipping off her chair and kneeling down so that she and Bella were at the same eye level. Bella's eyes looked sad and it hurt Brittany's heart a little. "I know that your mom would love to sit next to you. I bet she sits next to you every time you go out."

Bella nodded.

"Well, tonight, your mom's gonna be nice like that for me. I hope that's ok?"

Bella looked from Brittany to Santana, then looked back to the blonde and nodded. "Big B, they won't be horrible to you," she said sincerely. "If you sit between me and Mommy then we'll protect you."

Brittany couldn't help the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes. She pulled Bella in for a hug and the tears flowed down her cheeks when she felt little arms go around her neck and hold tight. It was exactly how Santana hugged her. After a few squeezes, Brittany pulled away.

"Big B, why are you crying?" Bella asked in alarm. "Did I squeeze too hard? Mommy says I do sometimes."

"No," Brittany said softly. "I'm not crying because I'm hurt. I'm crying because you're the sweetest little girl in the whole wide world and I'm _so_ lucky to have you as a friend."

"You're my best friend," Bella said proudly, with a big smile.

Brittany blinked in surprise. "But what about your mommy? Don't you think that she's your best friend?"

"No, she's my mommy so she can't be my best friend as well. So you can be my best friend and she can be my mommy," Bella explained with a grin.

Brittany felt Santana's hand resting softly on hers against Bella's back and their eyes met. Santana's dark orbs also looked dangerously watery, but she had a proud smile on her face.

"Little B, I would love nothing more than to be your best friend," Brittany said happily.

Bella grinned and stuck out her pinkie. Brittany smiled back and twirled her own around it.

"Mommy said you two used to do this to show everyone you were best friends," Bella said.

Brittany nodded and let her eyes meet Santana's again. They smiled knowingly at each other before Brittany turned her gaze back to Santana's daughter.

"I think I need to go and get myself cleaned up," Brittany whispered to Bella. "You think you can make sure no one sits in my seat until I get back?"

Bella nodded eagerly. "I'll be your seat ninja."

Brittany chuckled. "You, little B, are the coolest ninja ever."

Bella's eyes lit up and Brittany knew that she probably deemed it to be the biggest compliment ever. The blonde stood up and grabbed her purse, looking at Santana and tilting her head towards the restrooms. Santana just nodded and smiled, still trying to deal with keeping her own tears at bay.

Brittany waved to Bella and headed for the sign she'd seen on her way in. She walked into a cubicle and pulled the door closed, letting the remaining tears just roll down her cheeks silently as she let the disbelief of Bella's kindness just wash over her.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting in the cubicle until a soft knock on the door pulled her out of her dreamlike state.

"Uh, sorry," she mumbled. "Gimme a sec and I'll be out."

"B."

Brittany stood up and opened the door. Santana slipped inside and pushed the door closed behind her.

"Hey," Santana said softly, resting a hand on Brittany's arm. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Brittany sniffed. "She just kinda overwhelmed me."

Santana smiled. "She tends to do that. I've lost count of how many times she's made me cry just by saying something so amazingly nice."

"I feel like I don't deserve her. Or you," Brittany admitted. "After what I did, you shouldn't be so nice to me."

"Stop that," Santana said firmly. "Look at me. Brittany." She put a finger under the blonde's chin and forced their eyes to meet. "Britt, you're here. You're in our lives and I know that I was really apprehensive about it in the beginning, but right now I couldn't be happier. I have my best friend back."

"Just your best friend?" Brittany dared to ask.

She knew that it was a risk to go down that road, but she _knew_ Santana was feeling everything she was. The little touches and glances meant something. Santana was scared and she was adamant to find out why. She needed to help the Latina get over that fear if they were ever going to be together again.

Santana's eyes dropped from Brittany's, but this time the blonde tilted her chin up.

"You know you can't lie to me, Santana," Brittany said softly. "Why are you fighting us?"

Santana's eyes grew scared. "Brittany, please-"

"Please what, San?" Brittany asked. "I know I said I'd give you space and I really, really am trying, but this little game we've been playing this week wasn't us pretending."

"I know," Santana whispered.

Brittany blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that answer, but took a step closer to the Latina. Their heels enabled them to look straight into each other's eyes and neither broke the gaze.

"Britt," Santana whispered, her breath fluttering across the blonde's face, "I can't lose you again."

Brittany shook her head and took another small step towards the love of her life. She could feel Santana's body in front of hers and her hand rested on the Latina's small waist.

"Santana, I will spend every day proving to you that I am so in love with you-"

"I don't doubt that, B," Santana cut in. "But that's not enough to appease my fear that one day you're going to get another phone call and you're going to walk out of my life again. I can't survive that. Not again."

Brittany leaned forward and rested her forehead against Santana's and raised her other hand to gently rest on her cheek.

"We've already spoken about this. There is _nothing_ that can pull me away from New York. Not anymore. If I get a call, it's going to be a simple 'thanks, but no thanks'. And nothing that you do or say is going to change my mind about that. _You_ are all that I want, Santana Lopez. No one and nothing else."

Santana's brow furrowed in indecision and Brittany's hand that rested on Santana's cheek moved up and she ran a single finger across the Latina's forehead. She'd seen her do it with Bella and she knew the significance it held. Santana's eyes went wide and her forehead immediately relaxed under the blonde's soft touch.

"I love you, Santana," Brittany murmured. "I've always loved you and I always will love you. Part of me was missing for those eight years and now that I have you back, I'm not letting you go."

* * *

Santana's hands had been resting at her sides the whole time Brittany had been talking, but she couldn't not touch the blonde whilst her fingers ran across her forehead like that. She started resting her hands on Brittany's waist.

"I love you, Santana," Brittany said, dropping her hand onto Santana's shoulder and letting her fingers tease the exposed skin of her neck. "I've always loved you and I always will love you. Part of me was missing for those eight years and now that I have you back, I'm not letting you go."

Santana's breath caught in her throat. Brittany may not have been great with words a lot of the time, but when it came to expressing how much she loved Santana, she'd never had a problem.

This was it. Santana could feel the difference. She could see it in Brittany's clear, honest eyes. She wouldn't put them through that torture again. Both of them had hurt terribly. They'd longed for each other for eight torturous years. She trusted her. Santana trusted Brittany. She trusted her enough to give her heart again. She would keep it safe. And she would keep Bella's safe too.

"I trust you," Santana whispered, her one hand trailing a soft path up Brittany's naked arm. "Don't hurt me again."

Brittany gently shook her head. "That won't happen, Santana. Not again. I promise you."

Santana's hand rested on Brittany's cheek and she leaned into the touch, causing the Latina to smile softly.

"San," Brittany whispered, leaning slightly closer to her.

"Britt?"

"I really want to kiss you."

"I know," Santana replied, her breath quickening. "I really want you to."

The smile on Brittany's face was all the encouragement Santana needed to close the gap between them and press her lips against Brittany's. The blonde was surprised at first, but it didn't take her long to respond. Her arms wrapped around Santana and pulled them impossibly close. Their lips moved so perfectly against each other and Santana felt like she was home. After eight years, she was home.

Brittany pulled away slightly to trail soft kisses down Santana's neck.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered into the little crook. She breathed in deeply and Santana shivered. She let her fingers trail across the top of Brittany's back where her dress had left exposed skin. She felt the blonde shiver at the feather touch and it wasn't long before goose bumps broke out across the pale skin.

"I've missed you too," Santana replied softly, kissing softly up the side of Brittany's face as it rested in her neck.

"Thank you."

Santana smiled and used her other hand to bring Brittany's mouth back to hers. This time, she took the blonde's bottom lip between hers and sucked. Brittany let out a soft groan and Santana felt a rush of heat run down to her core at the sound. God, she'd missed that sound. She felt Brittany's hand grip her waist tighter and her tongue traced Santana's top lip. Now it was her turn to groan. She readily parted her lips and her tongue met Brittany's. They massaged and played and duelled and danced. At some point, Santana pushed Brittany against the wall of the cubicle and their bodies had no space between them. Brittany's hand was tangled in Santana's locks, pulling her closer, as if it were even possible.

Santana finally tore her mouth from Brittany's, purely because she absolutely had to breathe. Their eyes locked as their chests heaved against each other. Santana leaned forward and brushed her lips softly against Brittany's.

"I love you," she whispered.

Brittany's eyes widened and she smiled her big smile – the one Santana absolutely loved.

"I love you," she whispered back. "San, you make me so happy."

Santana smiled and tucked Brittany's hair behind her ear. "We need to get back to reality," she murmured, not loosening her grip on the blonde and letting her eyes run over her whole face, taking in every laugh line, every freckle.

"We'll be ok," Brittany replied, pushing herself off the wall and taking Santana with her. Her eyes widened suddenly. "San, what about Bella? Has she-"

"Rachel and Finn arrived and I came to see how you were," Santana interrupted softly.

"Of course," Brittany said, shaking her head. "I should've known that you wouldn't have left her alone."

Santana smiled and traced a finger over Brittany's forehead. "Let's go, beautiful."

"I think we should probably, uh, tidy ourselves up," Brittany suggested, blushing as she surveyed Santana's dress riding a lot higher than it had been five minutes before.

Santana smiled. She definitely didn't mind Brittany's hands over her bare skin. She turned around and giggled at Brittany nuzzling her hair and keeping her hands on her waist. She felt like a teenager again, sneaking make out sessions in anywhere and everywhere they could. She unlocked the door and walked towards the sinks. She glanced at her reflection and smirked at her swollen lips, dishevelled hair, flushed cheeks and dark eyes.

"Oh, yeah, I got you good," Brittany chuckled, looking at Santana checking the result of their make out session.

Santana grinned. "Do I look like I'm complaining?"

Brittany smiled. "I would hope not. I look worse."

"I think you look hot. Very, very sexy, in fact." Santana stepped closer and closer as she spoke and at the step, ground up against the blonde.

"Jesus," Brittany hissed, gripping the counter. "Are you insane? I'm supposed to be going out there pretending to be sweet, innocent and apologetic and all I'm gonna wanna do is rip your clothes off."

Santana smiled seductively. "Didn't you say something about dancing later?" she asked, taking a big step back to where she was and fixing her appearance.

"Evil…but oh, so sexy," Brittany muttered, giving the Latina a lust-filled stare that she could feel deep, deep down…Santana swallowed hard and tightened her legs. The movement wasn't unnoticed by Brittany, who smirked and continued her own check in the mirror.

"Ok, we need ground rules for tonight," Santana said, clearing her throat.

Brittany nodded. "That's probably a good idea."

"One, none of those looks that you like sending me. Two, no wandering hands. Three-"

"Geez, talk about a boring dinner," Brittany joked.

"Britt, come on. Three, as far as everyone at the table is concerned, we're still friends."

Brittany pouted at that and Santana quickly closed the distance between them. She linked her arms around the blonde's waist and pulled her close to kiss her nose.

"Only because I think it'd be a bit of a shock for them. And also, I want _us_ to tell Bella. I don't want her to find out in some informal setting."

Brittany nodded. "Ok."

"Don't worry, B. I'm all yours," Santana said with a smile.

Brittany grinned. "Does that mean I can call you my girlfriend? You know, in my head?" she amended quickly.

Santana laughed and pecked her lips. "Yes, you can call me your girlfriend."

"Score."

Santana released her after one last kiss and they quickly put the finishing touches to their appearances.

"I can't hold your hand, can I?' Brittany asked with a small pout.

"Sorry," Santana apologised, her hand on the door handle. "Let's just get through tonight, ok?"

Brittany nodded. "What if they ask me what my intentions with you are?" she asked with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Like we're friends, right?"

Santana nodded.

"What if they ask me what I plan to do to make sure you're always happy and stuff?"

"Why is that a problem, Britt?" Santana asked in confusion, opening the door to the bathroom and walking out. "You just tell them what you've been telling me. You know, without the love stuff and the making out."

"Oh, ok," Brittany said, nodding and following Santana back into the restaurant. "Just as well I cleared that up. If they'd asked me, I would've said that my only intention right now is to fuck you senseless against a table. Or bed. Or door."

Santana's mouth dropped open in shock and arousal and Brittany breezed past her, turning back to send her an evil wink.

_Oh, God. This dinner needs to get done and fast._

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so two things: One, this fic has just taken off on its own. It's completely deviating from the original story I had. Oh, well.**

**Two: The End.**

**-H**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Ok, so OBVIOUSLY this fic isn't finished :) DUH. Much more still to come :) Come on, be honest – how many of you thought I was being serious….**

**Also, 300 reviews :D Wowzers. Heart bursting right now :) Thanks so much, everyone :)**

**As I said at the end of the last chapter, this fic is now a living and breathing entity and is going against every conceivable plan I had. That reunion scene absolutely wrote itself. I had no intention of them getting back together so quickly…I hope you guys like it?**

**And a shout out to BrittanaAndKlaine0604 – just cos I can and she's an awesome chick :)**

**Ok, so this is the ACTUAL dinner…Enjoy!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 25**

"Mommy!"

Kurt glanced up from his menu and saw Santana and Brittany walk back to the table.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," he said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Good evening, everyone," Brittany said, cheerfully. "It's so awesome to see you guys again."

Blaine and Finn replied in kind, but Kurt and Rachel remained silent. Kurt narrowed his gaze at the blonde who met it unwaveringly and went to sit between Santana and Bella. He was sitting on the other side of Bella, so heard the whispered exchange between the two.

"I ninja kept your seat, Big B."

"You rock, Little B. We're gonna have to do that next section of the dance sometime."

Bella clapped her hands eagerly and Brittany once again met his gaze as she rose from leaning down to talk to Bella.

_Well this is going to be interesting_, Kurt thought, going back to his menu.

* * *

Brittany took a deep breath and sat up straight. The looks from Kurt had given her clear warning. She was going to get it…at some point. She picked up the menu and leaned towards Bella again as they discussed what they were going to have.

"These words are all really long," Bella said, squinting at the fancy names for all the dishes.

"Totally," Brittany agreed, pointing to a particular name. "I'm pretty sure that mac and cheese or something."

Bella giggled and jumped into the game. She pointed to another one. "That's fish and chips."

Brittany laughed along with her. "Ew, that has to be some kind of spinach soup."

"Ew," Bella greed, wrinkling her nose and Brittany smiled tenderly at how replicate it was of Santana's.

She turned her head and caught Santana spying on them with a smile. She gave her a secret smile after she made sure no one else at the table was watching.

Santana returned it with a subtle wink and turned to talk to Rachel on her other side. Brittany didn't miss the determined glare that little small diva gave her either.

* * *

"So, I have news about the musical," Santana said to Rachel, her voice an octave lower than usual.

"You do?" Rachel asked, her focus suddenly on the Latina at the mention of the word 'musical'. Her interrogation and observation of Brittany would have to wait. Anything to do with the theatre demanded her complete attention.

"Yeah," Santana said softly. "I'm writing the script."

"Oh," Rachel said, disappointed. She'd really hoped that Santana was going to ask her to take over the vocal coaching. But perhaps, as the writer, she could convince the Latina to write her a-

"I'm not writing you a part in our _school_ musical, Berry," Santana chuckled. She was distracted by Brittany softly tapping her arm. Rachel surreptitiously leaned forward so that she could eavesdrop on the whispered conversation.

"San, these words are all really big and fancy. We don't know what they are."

"Don't worry, I'll order for you two," Santana replied.

Rachel noticed the look between them linger for a little longer than it should've and frowned. This was like a completely different Santana from three weeks ago. She needed to know what spell Brittany had put her under to worm her way back into her life.

"Hey, do you think that when they say snails, they mean like actual snails?" Finn asked.

"Obviously, Finn," she snapped.

"Rach, that was a little unnecessary," Santana said in a warning tone.

Rachel sighed and looked up at her husband who had a hurt puppy look on his face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said softly. "I'm a little on edge tonight. I don't mean to take it out on you."

"Why are you on edge?" Santana asked casually, glancing at Rachel over the top of her menu.

Rachel looked at her friend incredulously. "Don't play dumb with me, Santana. You and I both know that everyone here is ignoring the big dancing elephant in the room?"

"There's a dancing elephant?" Brittany and Bella both asked at the same time in excitement.

Santana, Blaine and Finn burst out laughing and Rachel felt her mouth tugging upwards. Kurt didn't look amused in the slightest. Bella and Brittany just looked confused so Rachel watched as Santana leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. Her back arm went around the chair and Rachel's eyes widened as she saw Santana's thumb subtly graze against Brittany's arm. The blonde dancer leaned into it and Rachel's eyes met Kurt's, but it seemed like he hadn't seen the exchange.

Something was definitely going on between Brittany and Santana and it was _definitely _something more than friendship.

* * *

Blaine kept sending glances towards his boyfriend and frowned to himself. Why couldn't he just let it go? What Santana decided to do with her life and _whom _she decided to do it with, was her business and hers alone.

When Santana had called the previous day to inform them that Brittany would be joining them for dinner, it felt like a dark cloud descended over Kurt's head and was still there. All he did was mutter about Brittany being a bad idea and Santana making the biggest mistake of her life. Blaine eventually had left the apartment and only returned when Kurt had fallen asleep.

Santana was a grown woman. Blaine realised, having not actually been present for the big break up, that it had been pretty bad, but what good was a life where you couldn't forgive someone for a mistake? The way he'd understood the whole situation, both Brittany and Santana had been to blame. If they were willing to work through the pain and try to regain their friendship, Blaine thought that they should all be celebrating and encouraging the growth, not muttering about how big a bad idea it was.

He'd already decided that, regardless of how Kurt acted at dinner, he was going to give Brittany and Santana his support. And if it drove a wedge between him and Kurt…well, it wouldn't be the first time. Kurt was being utterly ridiculous in Blaine's opinion and someone needed to show him that.

* * *

Brittany smiled brightly at Finn, who grinned back. Brittany was super awesome. Yeah, she'd hurt Santana's feelings and stuff and she'd been all depressed – _that had been really awkward, undressing Santana_ – but that was years ago and the seemed like they were ok around each other now. Rachel hadn't shut up about Brittany coming back into Santana's life unannounced and disrupting everything that she'd built with Bella.

Finn glanced at Bella and Brittany and smiled. He'd always thought that Bella was kinda a perfect mash up between Santana and Brittany. She looked like Santana and was clever like her, but she had Brittany's compassion, happiness and wide-eyed view of the world.

As far as he was concerned, the sooner the two of them got back together, the better off they'd all be.

* * *

Kurt eyed the blonde as she drained the last sip of her second glass of wine. They hadn't even had their main courses yet. Now was the perfect time to have a little chat with the dancer.

"Brittany."

She looked over and the smile that had been permanently plastered on her face, dropped away. Her eyes were immediately guarded. Kurt had to admire how their little Brittany had grown up in eight years.

"Any chance we could have a little chat?"

"Kurt," Santana said warningly, glaring at him from the other side of Brittany.

Brittany turned back to Santana and whispered something in her ear. Santana visibly relaxed so whatever she'd said had done the trick.

"Where you going, Big B?" Bella asked when she stood up. "Our food's gonna be here soon."

"I'm just going to talk with Kurt, Little B," Brittany replied, patting the top of her head softly. "We won't be long."

Bella turned to Kurt and he almost took a step back at the fierce glare in her eyes. It was the exact replica of Santana's prize glare in high school. Scarily uncanny.

"Kurt, Britt's my friend," she said sternly. "You're not allowed to be mean to her else I won't talk to you."

Kurt blinked in surprise and glanced quickly at everyone else around the table. They were all trying to hide their smiles. Not Santana. She held a proud smirk and arched an eyebrow at her friend in challenge.

"I-I-I wouldn't dream of it, Bella," Kurt finally replied. "Excuse us for a moment."

Kurt made his way outside and took a moment to gather his thoughts. He needed to be coherent and clear. There wasn't any room for misunderstanding or misleading.

* * *

"Ok, Unicorn, let's have it," Brittany said, leaning against the wall outside the restaurant. "What you got?"

Kurt was a little surprise at her cavalier attitude. Had she really gotten so arrogant that she thought she was unaccountable for her actions?

"What the hell are you doing, Brittany?" he eventually got out and was thankful that it came out strong.

"Well, I _was_ enjoying a really nice evening with some really nice people, but then you decided to drag me out here and now I'm kinda wishing that I had taken my jacket." She rubbed her arms, but Kurt wasn't fooled. Women played the pity card all the time, but it sure as hell wasn't going to work with him.

"Don't play dumb, Brittany. You know exactly what I mean."

Brittany pushed herself off the wall and took a step towards Kurt. "First of all, _don't_ call me dumb. We're not in high school anymore. Second, what Santana and I decide to do is between us and has nothing _whatsoever_ to do with you or anyone else at that table, other than Bella."

"What did you do to convince Santana to give you another chance? I'm _dying_ to know what trick you worked to get back on her good side."

Brittany sighed. "I don't understand why you're so adamant to believe that I'm trying to trick Santana. She's made all the decisions since we started hanging out. She knows where I stand and I haven't pushed her." She looked up suddenly and a faint blush crossed her cheeks, but it disappeared as quickly as it arose.

"And where is it exactly that you stand with Santana? And Bella, for that matter?"

"Kurt, Santana and I agreed that we weren't going to talk about it. As for Bella, I would do _anything_ for that little girl, as well as her mother. I won't hurt either of them, especially Santana. I know I fucked up, ok? Santana knows that I fucked up. We've spoken about it _at length_ and we've found a common ground. As her friend, I would think you'd be happy for her. She's found some closure."

"Closure?" Kurt scoffed. "Is that what you've been telling yourself? That these mind games are all to help Santana get _closure_ after you ripped out her heart and stepped on it?"

"Kurt, you need calm down," Brittany said in a soft voice. It drove Kurt crazy. Who the hell did this woman think she was?

"I do _not_ need to calm down," Kurt said, pointing his finger at Brittany. "I need you to go back to wherever the hell you came from and to leave Santana alone."

"Don't you think that's her choice?" Brittany replied, folding her arms across her choice. "Santana's a big girl, Kurt. She can make her own decisions. She doesn't need you to hold her hand."

"Don't you dare patronise me," Kurt spat. "After what you did to her-"

"After what _I_ did?' Brittany said, flaring up.

_Finally_, Kurt thought.

"I don't know which version of the story you're choosing to remember, but _both_ of us left that relationship in tears. We were both broken. Yes, I was probably more at fault, but regardless of what happened _eight years ago_, Santana and I have moved passed it. Maybe you should too."

Kurt stiffened. She'd called him out and she knew it. He wasn't willing to accept that Brittany was back in the picture and that he wouldn't have that special place in Santana's life anymore.

"Kurt," Brittany said gently, a smile playing on her face, "you know you're always gonna be our unicorn, right?"

Kurt glared at her. He wasn't going to make it this easy. No way could she get off so lightly.

"Please stop punishing yourself over this," Brittany urged. "And stop punishing me. I don't think any of you guys realise how much _I_ hurt after the break up. And I didn't have any of you guys. Santana got an amazing support base, but I had to go from city to city, pretending to be happy and missing the love of my life every second of every day."

"Yeah, sounded like you really missed her," Kurt retorted. "You didn't once contact her!"

"She told me not to!" Brittany replied in exasperation. "I wanted to, so much, but when I came back to New York a year later, I chickened out. Like totally. I went back to our old apartment, but someone else was living there. I almost went to your apartment cos I figured that's where she'd be, but I got to the building and I just remember seeing how hurt she was and I couldn't."

"So why now?" Kurt was still wary, but Brittany didn't lie. That was one thing he knew he could always count on.

Brittany sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I love her, Kurt. I've always loved her. I can't be away from her. Do you know that I originally thought that Bella was Santana's girlfriend? For months, I thought that Santana was happy and in love and even though it killed me, I was glad to see her happy."

Kurt's mouth dropped open. Besides the absurdity of Bella being mistaken for Santana's girlfriend, the fact that Brittany would willingly stand by and suffer for Santana's happiness spoke volumes to him.

"Brittany, are you two back together?" Kurt asked slowly, already half knowing the answer.

Brittany looked up and met his eyes. She bit her lip as she battled with her answer. "Kurt, I don't want to lie to you, but Santana and I thought I would be best that no one knew until we told Bella."

"You haven't told Bella yet?" Kurt asked in alarm. "Christ, Britt! How long have you two been together and keeping it a secret?"

"Um…about an hour?" Brittany replied with a shrug.

"You mean…"

"That's why we took so long in the bathroom," Brittany admitted. "We were…getting reacquainted."

Kurt put up a hand. "As before, I do _not_ need to know about that."

"No, no, we didn't have sex," Brittany said. "God, we're not _that_ bad. Besides, I'm gonna do this whole thing right. I messed up when I left her and I want to show Santana that I'm worthy to have her heart again."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Brittany, I don't want to sound like a broken record…"

"Then don't, Kurt," Brittany replied simply. "I know how you feel. I've apologised. I'm making amends. You can take it or leave it. But frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Kurt had to grin and he caught the sparkle in Brittany's eyes. He really had missed her.

"Are we good?" Brittany asked hopefully.

Kurt took a breath. "We're ok," he said slowly. "We'll work towards good."

* * *

Santana glanced up at the doors for the twenty-seventh time in about two minutes. Kurt and Brittany had been gone for a really long time and she was getting worried. She knew that Brittany could handle herself, but Kurt didn't always have an off switch. He tended to forget where the line was.

She appreciated his protectiveness, but it was getting old. She was perfectly capable of making her own decisions, and it wasn't like she'd just taken Brittany back off the bat. It had taken a while and she was happy with her journey. She didn't feel like she'd rushed back into things with Brittany. And she knew that they weren't going to slip straight back into the routine of sex-crazed rabbits. Well, maybe a little. God, it really had been a long time…

Santana shook her head to herself and picked at her pasta. No, she and Brittany were going to do things right this time round. They were going to be out together from day one and do proper couple-y things that she'd deprived the blonde of during high school.

"Mommy, I need to go," Bella said with a pained expression on her face.

"Ok, baby," Santana replied, standing up and picking up her daughter. "You having a good time?" she asked as she walked through the restaurant.

Bella nodded. "I miss Britt, though. She's been gone long."

Santana nodded and opened the door to the bathroom. "She'll be back soon, I'm sure."

"I'm keeping her seat like a ninja," Bella said proudly, running into the second cubicle.

"You totally are, baby," Santana replied, leaning against the sink as she waited.

She giggled as Bella started singing _Somebody To Love_. She remembered that it was her turn to host Glee night the following week. She glanced at the bathroom door as it opened and smiled widely when she saw a familiar head of blonde hair.

"Hey," she said happily.

Brittany smiled and put a finger over her lips. Santana frowned and cocked her head in question. Brittany smiled at the sound of Bella singing and moved to stand in front of Santana, pressing her back into the sink. Santana's throat went dry. God, it felt so good when Brittany's body was pressed up against hers. One of Brittany's hands gripped the back of Santana's neck and she saw the blue eyes that she loved so much turn slightly darker as Brittany crashed their lips together.

Santana swallowed the moan that immediately rose on her throat and pulled her blonde closer to her, raking her fingers up Brittany's bare thigh. Their tongues met fiercely and Santana could swear that her knees actually buckled. Between Brittany and the sink, she managed to stay upright.

The kissing was hot, passionate, sexy and completely consuming. Santana was engulfed by Brittany, by the feel of her, by her smell, by her taste and she loved it.

The sound of a toilet flushing made Brittany pull away and place a soft kiss on Santana's cheek.

"I'll see you back at the table," she whispered in the Latina's ear. And then she was gone.

The cubicle door opened and Bella looked at her mother curiously. "Are you ok, Mama?" she asked softly.

Santana was almost afraid to look at the result of Brittany's surprise attack, but she turned around and blushed at how aroused she looked. She ran some water and helped Bella wash her hands, trying to clear her mind of all the things she _desperately_ wanted to do to Brittany. Top of her list was to make her scream her name. Soon. Loudly.

"You've got a mark on your cheek, Mommy," Bella pointed out.

Santana spied some of Brittany's lip-gloss on her cheek and quickly wiped it off. How was there possibly anything left on her lips after how they'd kissed?

"Ok," Santana said in a shaky voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Are we ready?"

Bella eyed her mother suspiciously, but nodded and let Santana pick her up. They were almost at their table when Bella's eyes widened.

"You smell like Brittany!"

* * *

"You smell like Brittany!"

Brittany's head shot up from her steak and she caught Santana's panicked gaze.

"Hey, Little B," she greeted. "Your soup's getting cold."

"Britt!" Bella said happily, squirming out of her mother's arms.

Santana set her down and slowly found her way to her own seat. Brittany knew that look. Santana was conflicted. She knew that Bella had obviously figured something out and she hated lying to her daughter. Bella bounded to her seat and Brittany warned her to blow on the spoon before sipping her soup.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm sorry if I made things difficult."

Santana shook her head and smiled gently at Brittany. "We're really bad at hiding things, apparently."

"Well, she _is_ a ninja," Brittany stated. "She was bound to figure it out sooner or later." She turned back to Bella. "Little B, how you doing?"

"Yummy," Bella declared. "Why don't people drink soup through straws? Cos it's runny like water and cooldrink."

"They don't make straws that can take the heat. They'd all melt. Can you think of one hot drink that uses a straw?" Brittany replied with a smile.

Bella thought long and hard. "Wow," she said finally. She grinned at Brittany. "You're so smart, Britt."

"Nowhere near as smart as you," Brittany replied with a soft ruffle of Bella's hair.

The blonde caught Kurt's smile and she returned it. She'd been nervous as hell when they'd gone outside, but she just remembered what Santana had told her. What they were doing was their business and she wasn't going to hurt Santana again. She'd die before she lost her.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked Santana.

"Hmmm?"

Rachel frowned. The Latina had been nursing her glass of wine and completely ignoring her food for the last twenty minutes.

"A liquid meal is never a good idea, Santana," she said sternly.

Santana blinked and seemed to realise what she was doing. She put her glass down and pierced a piece of broccoli with her fork.

Rachel sighed to herself. It was clearly obvious that something _more_ was going on between Brittany and Santana, but for whatever reason, neither of them were acknowledging it. Well, at least not publicly.

Whatever had been said between Brittany and Kurt had obviously eased her brother-in-law's mind, a feat that Rachel hadn't thought possible. It altered her thinking – if Brittany could convince _Kurt_ that she was good for Santana, then that should be good enough for her, right? Regardless, there was no point in discussing it now.

"Santana, why don't you tell me more about this musical you're writing?" she asked brightly.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Brittany piped up, a big smile on her face. "I finally convinced San to write the script so now it's going to be awesome."

"Britt," Santana hushed her, but Rachel saw the blush.

The Latina looked up and saw that the whole table was now interested in her new role in the musical.

"Do you have any ideas about the story?" Blaine asked.

"Uh, actually, yeah," Santana said shyly. "Um, I'm going to do a script based on our senior year in New Directions."

The table buzzed with excitement and the rest of the dinner was spent discussing which moments from their senior year should go into Santana's script.

* * *

**A/N: Fluff :)**

**Review pleeeeeease :) With a cherry on top? And maybe some chocolate sprinkles if you're feeling generous?**

**-H**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Apologies for not updating the last two days…I was distracted. And since I've broken my no spoilers policy, I suppose I _can_ mention that I have an AU Brittana/Pezberry/Faberry fic in the works. Not sure if I'll start it whilst I'm still busy with this one, but we shall see.**

**For now, though,** **BELLA! You guys all wanna wrap her up and take her home – Aww, that means to much to me :)**

**INSANE number of reviews on that last chapter. Thank you all so much!**

**Also, a formal apology for a bad joke at the end of #24…Sometimes only I think I'm funny ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 26**

Santana saw that Bella's eyes were getting heavy so she suggested that they start making preparations to leave.

"Santana, I wonder if Blaine and I might be able to take Bella with us tonight?" Kurt ventured. "It's been so long since I've been shopping with my little fashionista and her birthday's coming up soon."

Santana's arms went protectively around her daughter, who was now sitting in her lap with her head resting on Santana's shoulder.

"_Mija_, Kurt wants to know if you want to go and stay with him tonight?" she whispered to her daughter in Spanish.

Bella lifted her head and smiled sleepily at her mother. "Am I allowed?" she replied in Spanish.

Santana smiled and tucked Bella's hair behind her ear. "If you want to, baby."

Bella nodded enthusiastically despite her sleepy state. Santana looked up at Kurt and nodded.

"I'd like her back home by late afternoon though," Santana said. "I need to talk to her."

"About what?" Bella asked curiously.

Santana smiled down at her daughter. "You'll find out tomorrow."

Bella pouted and Santana just gave her an Eskimo kiss. "You be good, baby girl. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

The youngest Lopez nodded and thread her arms around her mother's neck, pulling her close.

"I'll miss you, Mama," she whispered and Santana just squeezed her tighter.

"I love you, _mi amor_," she replied, pulling back and running her finger across Bella's forehead. Bella quietly returned the gesture and gave her mom a kiss. The little girl then turned to Brittany and held out her arms. Santana smiled and released her daughter to her girlfriend. She watched as they whispered to each other and giggled. They squeezed pinkies before Bella put her arms around Brittany's neck and hugged her. Kurt and Blaine stood up, bidding their fellow tablemates farewell. Bella jumped off Brittany's lap and gave her mother one last hug and kiss before skipping off to join Kurt and Blaine.

"It's only one night, but it feels like forever," Santana said wistfully. "It's insane how much I miss her."

Brittany smiled. "It's hard not to miss her. She lights up the room."

Santana sent her a grateful look at the attempt to make her feel better.

"So, Brittany, you're working with Santana on the musical?" Rachel asked, finishing her wine.

Brittany smiled and nodded. "I'm so excited about it. The kids are really good and they're super keen."

"I, for one, think that it's a marvellous idea," Rachel said with a smile. "Cultivating musical and theatrical talents at school level is imperative for a long career in the entertainment industry. And what better way than to have two national cheerleading and show choir champions directing them?"

Santana frowned. Berry didn't often praise someone if she wasn't indirectly complimenting herself.

"What do you want, Berry?" she asked, warily. "I can't remember that last time you said something so nice without it somehow relating back to you."

"Santana, you wound me. Is it really so surprising that I do not simply acknowledge the expertise of yourself and Brittany without it having something to do with my influence on the two of your during our high school days?"

"You know, I love you, Rachel, but you really are insufferable sometimes," Santana said snippily, rolling her eyes.

"Hey," Brittany said quietly, putting a subtle hand on Santana's leg. "Calm down. She's being nice."

Santana felt some of her anger dissipate at Brittany's soft touch and voice.

"Britt, I can't tell you how glad I am that you're back," Finn said with a smile. "Watching these two go at it gives me a permanent headache."

"Hey!" Santana and Rachel protested, but caught each other's gazes and grinned.

"Babe, I think we should head home," Finn suggested. "I've got an early conference call with Chicago in the morning."

Rachel stood up and hugged her husband's broad shoulders while he still sat. "My big, handsome man, bringing home the bacon. Which I would eat, if I ate meat. Or if I wasn't Jewish."

Santana and Brittany laughed as Finn blushed and stood up, helping Rachel into her coat. They all hugged each other and Brittany waved at the parting couple before sitting down and allowing herself to finally take her girlfriend in a way that she'd wanted to do all night.

Santana blushed as she watched Brittany undressing her with her eyes. It had never failed to make her feel incredibly sexy and turned on.

"So, still wanna go dancing?" Brittany asked in a low voice, smirking at Santana.

* * *

They arrived at a club that Brittany frequented and skipped the line after Brittany attacked the bouncer with a hug. She quickly introduced Santana and pulled her inside before Santana had even had a chance to say hello.

The music inside was loud and Santana immediately felt hot with her jacket on. The club was full, but Brittany navigated it easily, pulling her through the crowd.

Santana walked into Brittany when she suddenly stopped. The blonde dropped her hand and proceeded to hug a group of people. Santana stood awkwardly while she waited for Brittany to finish her hellos. She pulled her jacket off and put it on the table.

"Hey, I'm Darren," a guy shouted over the music, holding his hand out in greeting.

"Santana. How do you guys know Britt?"

"You're Santana?" Darren asked in surprise.

Santana's brow furrowed and she glanced at her girlfriend who was animatedly gesturing to two other girls. Part of her was a little frustrated. Brittany hadn't mentioned that they were meeting her friends. She felt a little blitzkrieged. Not that she minded meeting Brittany's friends, but some forewarning would've been great. And now she was being ignored.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Darren said, grinning apologetically. "I just really thought that you were someone that Britt made up. I didn't think anyone could be that perfect. Or real. But here you are."

Santana blushed and smiled. "She tends to exaggerate. I'm just a girl."

She felt arms encircle her waist and squeeze. Brittany's lips grazed her exposed neck.

"Darren, you're playing nice, right?"

Darren grinned. "Always, Britt."

"Come on," Brittany said in Santana's ear. "I need to get my hands on you."

Santana moaned and let Brittany pull her onto the dance floor. Dancing with Brittany was always an experience. She moulded her body to Santana's and the Latina's hips started to move with hers. The guidance was effortless and Santana let Brittany take charge. She always did on the dance floor. And...elsewhere.

Santana was definitely capable of keeping a beat and looking sexy whilst doing it, but her girlfriend was on another level completely and Santana loved watching her in her element. The Latina's hands rested on Brittany's waist and she pulled them flush with each other. Brittany smiled and trailed her hands up Santana's thighs, squeezing her ass before slipping a leg in between hers and moving her hips.

"You're evil," Santana growled in Brittany's ear.

Brittany chuckled and spun around, grinding her ass right into Santana's crotch. The Latina closed her eyes and ran her hands over Brittany's stomach. God, she was so turned on, it was ridiculous. She pulled Brittany's back against her front and whispered in her ear, "You are so incredibly sexy and you're all mine."

Brittany pressed back into Santana hard at hearing her staking her claim. Santana knew that Brittany loved it when Santana was possessive. The blonde rested her head back on Santana's shoulder as the Latina started kissing the exposed skin of her neck. Brittany continued to grind against Santana and took the Latina's hands and put them on her body. Santana happily obliged and continued to move her hands up and down, squeezing, ghosting and digging.

Finally, after enough torture and a very dark mark on Brittany's neck, the blonde spun around and crashed her lips to Santana's. Their tongues danced inside their mouths as their bodies mirrored the efforts.

"I love you," Santana gasped, breaking away. "Please take me home. I need to feel you so badly."

"Are you sure?" Brittany asked, her dark eyes betraying her desire. "We can take this slow, if you want."

Santana took Brittany's hand and slipped it underneath her dress. The blonde moaned loudly in her ear at the feel of Santana's wetness through her underwear.

"That's all for you because I can't _wait_ to have you inside me again," Santana said in Brittany's ear. "I need you, Brittany Pierce, and I need you _now_."

"Wait here."

Brittany disappeared and Santana took the time alone to try and calm her racing heart and burning libido. She had _never_ wanted Brittany more than she did at that moment. Out of all the times they'd had make up sex or angry sex or role play sex, she'd never burned or physically _ached_ to be with the blonde like she was at that moment.

Brittany was in front of her again, jackets in hand. She smiled and kissed Santana hard before grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the exit.

The cab drive home was difficult because they could barely keep their hands off each other, but Santana had seen how their cab driver had looked at them when they'd got in. She'd sent Brittany a knowing look although the pout she'd gotten in return had almost made her dive between Brittany's legs right then.

Santana threw far too much money at the driver and followed Brittany out of the cab, almost running through the door that Oliver held open for them.

"Good evening, ladies."

"Hi, Noddy!" the girls chorused, giggling and falling over themselves to get to the lift.

They tumbled into the elevator, fused at the lips. Santana pressed Brittany against the back of the elevator, pausing only to hit the correct floor before she resumed her assault on the blonde's mouth. Brittany groaned and grabbed Santana's ass and hoisted her up, turning and pressing her against the other wall. The Latina wrapped her legs around her girlfriend's waist and took deep breaths as Brittany squeezed her breasts and kissed the tops softly. The tenderness was a far cry from what they'd been doing to each other's mouths ten seconds ago, but Santana was relieved at the change of pace, if nothing just to get her breath back.

The doors opened and Santana locked eyes with Brittany. Her thighs quivered slightly at the predatory look in those blue eyes. Brittany got a good grip on Santana and carried her out the lift and to her apartment door, never breaking their gaze.

"I love you," she whispered.

Santana smiled and leaned down to capture Brittany's lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you, too."

"Where are the keys?" Brittany asked, a hungry grin on her face.

Santana quickly scrambled around in her purse and produced them. Brittany held one arm around her girlfriend and Santana was impressed with her strength. She'd always been able to lift Santana, but they were both in heels and Brittany was only using one arm.

Santana lowered her head to place soft kisses along Brittany's pale neckline.

"Uh, not helping," Brittany grunted, her hand around Santana's waist squeezing.

The Latina simply smiled and continued her kissing. She heard the key turn in the lock with a triumphant laugh from the blonde and Santana felt herself being carried into her apartment. The door was kicked closed and Santana's back hit against it. Brittany was pressing up against her in delicious ways. Their mouths met again in a fiery kiss and Brittany slowly let Santana down so that they were level again.

Brittany's eyes didn't leave hers as she reached behind Santana and pulled down the zip of her dress, running her hands across the bare skin. Santana leaned her head back against the door and smiled, savouring the feel of Brittany's safe hands caressing her skin. It felt so natural. It felt like they belonged there.

"You're so beautiful," Brittany murmured, hooking her fingers under the straps of Santana's dress and pulled it down over her upper body, exposing her strapless black lace bra.

Santana smiled again and pulled her blonde in for a heated kiss, teasing her with her tongue. Brittany kept her hands on her girlfriend as her mouth left Santana's and trailed hot kisses down her neck and across her chest. Santana gasped as Brittany slipped her tongue underneath the fabric of the bra and flicked over Santana's nipple. She moaned. She hadn't experienced this kind of attention since…well, since Brittany, actually.

"Britt," Santana said, pulling Brittany's face back up to hers.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked in alarm.

"No, nothing. I, um…I need to tell you something."

"Anything."

Santana suddenly became very shy and looked down, but Brittany tipped her chin and waited patiently.

"Uh, it's, um…It's been…awhile for me," Santana admitted softly.

"Ok," Brittany said with a smile. "I'll be gentle the first few rounds."

That made Santana blush furiously. "Uh, when I say a _while_, I mean…"

Brittany frowned in confusion. "How long are talking here?"

"Eight years?" Santana whispered.

"San, seriously?" Brittany asked, her mouth open.

Santana nodded and dropped her head onto Brittany's shoulder in embarrassment. "God, this is humiliating."

"No, it's wonderful," Brittany replied, cradling her girlfriend's head in her hands so that she could look into her eyes. "You trust me enough to give yourself to me like this and I can't express how happy that makes me. I love you, Santana Lopez, and no matter what happened over the last eight years, this is like my first time again, because it's with the person that matters."

Santana smiled widely and pulled Brittany into her for a kiss. They made out against the door until the temperature crept back up to urgent. Brittany released Santana's mouth and went back to her breasts. The Latina gasped at the sensation of Brittany's tongue on her bare skin. As Brittany paid loving attention to her girlfriend's chest, she pushed the rest of her dress down over her hips and to the floor. She kicked off her own shoes and let Santana do the same.

Brittany dropped to her knees and kissed the Latina's hard stomach. She had _missed_ this beautiful stomach. She loved it even more knowing that Bella had filled it at one point. She slowly pulled Santana's matching black lace underwear down her legs and postponed looking at the one place she really wanted to until she'd kissed Santana's smooth legs from bottom to top. Santana's hands had come to rest in Brittany's hair and she tugged softly in anticipation.

The blonde raised her eyes and licked her lips at the sight of Santana's wet pussy, begging for her attention.

"I have missed this _so_ much," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else, but she heard Santana hum in agreement.

She leaned forward, momentarily allowing the scent that was unmistakably Santana invade her senses. She still smelled exactly the same. Brittany would recognise that scent _anywhere_. She licked her lips again, realising she was nervous.

"Baby," Santana whined.

Brittany grinned widely at the pet name and dove in, starting with soft licks up and down Santana's folds. The Latina immediately started shaking in response and let out stifled moans. The blonde smiled and focused on her task – to welcome Santana back into the world of the sexually active with a mind-blowing orgasm. She still knew all of her tells and weaknesses. She reached behind her girlfriend and grabbed her ass, pushing her face into Santana's wet core. She was rewarded with a loud moan at the action. Brittany buried her tongue a little deeper between Santana's slit and ended her stroke with a soft flick over the small bundle of nerves at the top.

Santana's legs trembled and she started whimpering. Brittany took a moment to get a deep breath in her lungs because she had a feeling that this wouldn't take much longer and she didn't want to stop because of a lack of oxygen. Dropping a little lower, Brittany entered Santana with her tongue and moaned at all the juices that hit her. The taste of pure Santana. She pushed and swirled her tongue around inside and felt Santana's walls pulling and tightening around her. She drove in harder and pulled Santana closer to her, but wasn't sure how much closer they could get. She dropped one of her hands from her girlfriend's ass and timed a final thrust deep into Santana at the same time she flicked her clit with her thumb.

"Oh, Brittany!" Santana cried out, arching her back off the door and fisting her hands in blonde hair.

Brittany slowly licked her girlfriend clean and brought her down carefully, sure that she was pretty sensitive after having someone down there for the first time since, well, the last time _she_ was down there. Brittany used her hand to wipe Santana's juices from her chin, cheeks and mouth and then cleaned her hand, relishing in her girlfriend's taste all over her.

Santana was grabbing at her arms, trying to pull her up and Brittany obliged, holding the weak Latina in her arms. Santana met her lips lazily and smiled.

"I love it when you taste like me."

"Not as much as I love tasting you."

"Pretty sure I love that the most."

Brittany chuckled and just held Santana against the door as they kissed gently. When Brittany felt Santana regain some strength, she pulled her close for a hug. The Latina responded and squeezed back. She trailed kisses down Brittany's neck and along her shoulder, down her arm and to her hand, which she brought up to her lips. She kissed every finger and rolled her tongue around the index finger, wrapping her plump lips over it and sucking it into her mouth. Her eyes didn't leave Brittany's the whole time.

The blonde's jaw dropped open and she was pretty sure that she may have had a little mini-orgasm.

"Oh," Brittany whispered, drawing out the sound.

The Latina released her finger with a small popping sound and a smirk on her face.

"Let's go sit down," she suggested, linking their fingers and walking towards the couch, making sure that Brittany got a full view of her naked ass. Santana pulled Brittany towards her and met her surprised lips with a passionate kiss. Their arms went around each other and hands started roaming. Santana hadn't found a zip through her explorations so she just started pulling Brittany's dress down roughly, lathering kisses wherever she unveiled a new patch of skin. Considering how much the dress had cost her, Brittany thought about just taking it off to reduce the risk of it getting damaged, but when Santana raked her teeth over her clavicle, soothing it with her tongue, she forgot everything.

She let out a loud moan and clawed Santana's back, now needing her girlfriend to touch her everywhere. The Latina tugged impatiently at the dress until it was bunched around Brittany's waist. She paused momentarily, just let her eyes take in the sight of Brittany's flushed body, her rising breasts as she took heavy breaths, encased in a tight black bra, pushing them together to make them look even more delectable. Santana reached behind her girlfriend and unclasped it, resting her head in the crook of Brittany's neck as she felt her naked breasts against her chest.

"I've missed this," she whispered. "I've missed feeling you."

Brittany smiled and gently linked her fingers with Santana's. "Then reacquaint yourself," she replied huskily, putting the Latina's hands on her breasts.

Santana didn't need a second invitation. She started gently massaging Brittany's beautiful mounds and lowered her mouth to one, loving how Brittany inhaled sharply at the sensation and dug her fingers into Santana's hips. When Brittany started whimpering softly, Santana knew that she was dying to be touched. And she was dying to touch. She pulled the rest of the dress over Brittany's hips and down her gloriously long legs. Santana let her step out of it and stood up, smiling into blue eyes. Brittany smiled back and leaned in for a kiss, but Santana pushed her back onto the couch. The blonde landed and had no time to react before there was a Latina straddling her and gyrating their bodies together.

"Jesus," Brittany groaned, wishing she had more hands to cover Santana's naked skin and pull her closer.

Santana had to swallow her own moans at the feeling of their naked flesh pressed together. This whole ordeal was working her up again and she hadn't even tasted Brittany yet. She crashed her lips to the blonde's and, more out of habit than anything else, reached down to cup her girlfriend's soaking core. Brittany moaned into Santana's mouth and bucked her hips up into the touch, demanding more friction.

Santana had waited long enough. She broke away from Brittany and swung off her lap onto the floor. She knelt in front of Brittany and looked up, meeting her girlfriend's hazy eyes. She was really turned on and it made Santana bite her lip in anticipation. Brittany shifted forward on the couch, widening her legs in front of Santana, drawing the Latina's gaze down to her soaked panties. Santana hooked her fingers underneath them and pulled them slowly down, her eyes never leaving the now naked Brittany in front of her. She tossed her girlfriend's underwear to one side and leaned up, capturing Brittany's lips in a soft kiss, before she trailed them down to her ultimate destination.

She was impatient and wanted Brittany _now_. Without warning, Santana drove into the blonde with her tongue, causing Brittany to jerk violently at the welcome intrusion. Santana pulled out and licked her lips with a smile. Hmmm, essence of Brittany. Still her favourite mealtime. She dove back in and proceeded to eat her writhing girlfriend out at a furious pace. Brittany wasn't sure how to react to her body firing these pleasure-filled synapses off in every direction. She felt like she was going to send her back into spasm with all the involuntary arching she was doing as a result of Santana's oh, so talented tongue.

"Close!" she cried. "Oh, God, don't stop!"

Santana scoffed to herself. As if she was going to stop her favourite thing in the world. She slowed her ministrations and pulled her tongue out, running it up Brittany's slit and toying with her clit. The blonde moaned loudly and grabbed Santana's head, forcing her to go back down to her entrance. Santana giggled and obliged, dipping her tongue softly and exploratory.

"Santana!" Brittany whined.

The Latina chuckled, her breaths and the movements of her lips sending a myriad of sensations through the blonde. She realised that she had probably teased her girlfriend more than usual by this point and retracted her tongue once more, replacing it with two of her fingers. Brittany moaned in approval and relaxed against the cushions. Santana moved her tongue to her girlfriend's clit and slowly grazed her tongue over and around it. The blonde bucked up again, but Santana's other arm was splayed across her stomach, keeping her down.

Thereafter, a few deep thrusts and well-timed licks across Brittany's clit had the blonde a trembling mess under Santana's mouth.

"You wanna come for me, baby?" Santana said softly, her breath washing over Brittany's sensitive nub.

Brittany nodded fervently, her eyes pleading.

"I couldn't hear you, Britt," Santana teased.

"God, yes!" Brittany burst out. "Only for you, San. I wanna come for you."

Santana smiled in triumph and sucked on Brittany's clit and thrusting in deep with her fingers, twisting and curling them to hit the spot that she knew drove the blonde wild. It was enough to send her over the edge. Santana looked up and watched the pure beauty of Brittany experiencing an orgasm. Her eyes squeezed closed, her hand went to her breast, she bit her lip and arched her back, fell back a little and arched it again.

"Santana," she moaned as she fell against the back on the couch, her chest heaving.

The Latina kept her fingers inside the blonde as she brought her down and cleaned her up. When she was done, she glanced up and saw Brittany's eyes were still closed and her breathing had relaxed a little. She wasn't asleep, Santana knew that much. She straddled her girlfriend again and rested her arms on her shoulders, softly nuzzling her neck with her nose and a few feather kisses.

"Hmmm," Brittany murmured. "That was…wow."

Santana smiled into her neck. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, B. I _definitely_ enjoyed watching you come. You're so incredibly sexy when you orgasm."

"You're so weird," Brittany chuckled, rolling her head so that she could kiss Santana's cheek.

The Latina pulled back and kissed Brittany. This was definitely one of the things she'd missed most about sex with the blonde. Besides the _amazing_ sex that they always had, the post-coital cuddling was one of her favourite parts. Falling asleep entangled with each other and waking up the next morning even more entangled.

"Are you tired?" Santana asked softly.

"Nope," Brittany replied, kissing her girlfriend's jaw line. "Are you?"

"Not even close," Santana smirked.

"We'd best put good use to that energy," Brittany suggested with an attempted serious look on her face.

Santana laughed, but it was cut off by Brittany's lips against hers. She returned the kiss and it soon became very R-rated, with hands wandering over two naked bodies. Well, almost naked. Brittany wanted to feel all of Santana and fumbled with the clasp of her bra, not wanting to break their kiss, but the angle was awkward. Santana batted her hands away and easily unclasped it, tossing it onto the couch without leaving Brittany's lips. The blonde's hands and mouth immediately went to the newly naked flesh and Santana threw her head back in pleasure.

"Uh," Santana grunted. "Britt…bed…please?"

Brittany didn't stop lavishing her attention to Santana's breasts and simply picked her up. The Latina wrapped her legs around Brittany's waist and clung to her as the blonde carried them easily to Santana's bedroom. She was deposited onto the bed gently and immediately felt a body cover hers. She moaned and canted her hips up, slipping a leg between Brittany's and grabbing her ass. She ground up, relieving some of the friction against her own pussy. Brittany joined her groan, abandoned Santana's breasts and met her mouth, grinding down hard into her.

They found a rhythm automatically, their bodies fitting perfectly together as they alwys had. Their kisses alternated from slow and soft, to hard and passionate, to lazy, to sloppy, to loving. Their hips moved completely in sync and Santana gasped, throwing her head back into the pillow in pleasure. It wasn't enough, though. She knew that grinding along wouldn't be enough to send Brittany over for the second time either, as good as it felt. She rolled the blonde over and slipped a hand in between them, sneakily slipping two fingers into the blonde. God, how was it possible that she'd gotten that wet again so quickly?

Brittany broke their kiss and bit down on Santana's shoulder in pleasure. Her own hand travelled downwards and she slipped inside the Latina. Santana moaned loudly at being filled with Brittany's fingers. There wasn't anything quite as dextrous as her girlfriend's fingers. She rode them hard, making sure to keep the rhythm of her own fingers inside Brittany. Their movements increased in speed as they both climbed higher to that point of explosion.

"Almost," Santana gasped.

"Wait!" Brittany replied, breathing hard and thrusting up against Santana's hand. "Together."

Santana just nodded into Brittany's neck where she was pretty sure she'd left an army of hickies. She picked up the pace of her fingers in Brittany, slowing down on her own thrusting against the blonde's digits. Santana worked her thumb up to Brittany's clit and pressed down.

"Yes," Brittany gasped. "Again."

Santana repeated the process until she could feel Brittany shaking beneath her. The blonde found her clit and circled it. That was last straw for Santana and she exploded, arching into Brittany. The force of that pushed the blonde over the edge too. Santana eventually remembered how to breathe and allowed Brittany to roll her over. Their lips met in a soft, sensual kiss. Santana's eyes flew open when she felt Brittany's fingers still moving inside her, doing that delicious curling and twisting thing that she loved.

"Britt, what-" she cried hoarsely.

"Sssh," the blonde hushed lovingly. "I'm showing you how much I love you and how much I've missed you."

Santana couldn't argue with her methods, so she just closed her eyes and allowed herself to be built up again slowly. Brittany trailed kisses down her body and used her tongue gently on Santana's pussy. When she came, it wasn't nearly as powerful as the previous two orgasms, but it was still enough to render her limbs useless – a fact Brittany took to full advantage as she coaxed another orgasm out of her immediately after with a few choice licks of Santana's clit.

The Latina managed to regain enough strength to grip Brittany's hair and pull. The pain made Brittany chuckle and she released her hold on Santana's sex and moved up her girlfriend's body with kisses placed all over her exposed skin.

"You're amazing," Santana said, completely out of breath. "I love you _so_ much."

"You only love me cos I gave you four awesome orgasms," Brittany teased, wrapping her arms around Santana's waist.

"Hmmm," Santana murmured. "But I really do love you."

Brittany smiled and snuggled into her girlfriend. "I know."

With great difficulty, Santana rolled her body over so that Brittany could be the big spoon.

"Best first time ever," Brittany whispered and Santana let out a small chuckle before they both let sleep take them.

* * *

**A/N: SO! Hope that satisfied you lot? :)**

**Question – I mentioned a new AU fic idea that I got. Do you guys want me to focus on this and finish it or should I start on the other one and try to post a chapter of each every second day, like alternate them? Let me know :) The other fic will definitely be written, but I'd like to know if you guys want me to start now or focus on finishing **_**A Different Life**_** first?**

**-H**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Overwhelming requests for me to finish this story…I hope you guys understood that I wasn't planning on stopping this story. I would NEVER do that to you! :) But, the masses have spoken :)**

**Thanks to crookedspin for some inspiration for this chapter :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee**

**CHAPTER 27**

There was a loud pounding that brought Santana out of her deep slumber. She lifted her head and blinked her eyes open. Had it been a dream? Nope, there it was again.

Santana groaned and buried her face in her pillow. She didn't want to get up. An arm around her tightened and Santana turned her head and smiled at Brittany's beautiful sleeping face. As expected, they were completely entangled in each other. Santana leaned forward to kiss her when the loud banging interrupted her.

"Ugh, fine!" she muttered, getting off the bed as gently as she could so as not to wake Brittany. She pulled on a pair of short shorts and her tank top.

She walked to the front door and opened it, not bothering to check who was on the other side.

"What?" she snapped, then her eyes opened wide. "Uh, hi! What are you guys doing here?"

Maribel and Emilio Lopez gave their daughter a once over and she sheepishly stepped back and allowed them into her apartment, trying to flatten her very obvious bed hair. She closed the door behind them and her eyes widened when she saw her dress, panties and shoes lying on the floor. She quickly bent down and picked them up.

"Um, sorry, I wasn't expecting you," Santana mumbled. "Um, just gonna go put this in my room."

"All right, _mija_," Maribel said with a smile.

Santana tried to smile casually and turned around.

"Santana! What on earth happened to your back?" Maribel cried in horror, lifting her daughter's tank top higher.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked in confusion. "I can't see."

"There are all these red lines. They look almost like scratches."

Santana's jumped away from her mother and blushed, pulling her tank top down in embarrassment. "Uh, must be an allergic reaction or something."

"Nita, what's that on your neck?" Emilio asked, joining the inspection.

_Oh, God. Kill me now. Just kill me. I'm about to die of embarrassment._

"Uhhhhm," Santana mumbled.

She saw her mother's eyes widen as recognition hit her.

"Oh," she said softly. "Santana, are those…?"

"Mom!" Santana whined, sounding very much her old teenage self.

"_Mija_, there's no need to be embarrassed. You're a grown woman. We understand that you have…needs."

"Oh, God, I'm not hearing this right now," Santana mumbled, hugging the clothes in her arms closer to her.

"I have no idea what's going on," Emilio said in confusion, shaking his head and moving to sit on the couch.

Santana just spun around and practically ran into her bedroom. She leaned against the closed door and couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face at the sight of her girlfriend laying spread-eagled on her stomach across the bed. Her arm had gripped Santana's pillow and her face was mashed into it. The Latina felt her heart flutter at the memory of what they'd experienced the previous night. She didn't think it could've been any more perfect.

She dropped the clothes and shoes onto the floor and climbed onto the bed, trailing kisses up Brittany's spine and pressing her body against hers.

"Hmmm," Brittany mumbled, not moving.

"Stay sleeping, babe," Santana whispered. "I'll sort out some breakfast for us."

Ideally, she didn't want her parents to meet her girlfriend under such conditions. Obviously, they knew who Brittany was, but Santana hadn't even told them that they'd rekindled their friendship let alone their relationship. Granted, they hadn't even been back together for twelve hours yet. Santana smiled at that. It felt like time had stood still for them. Everything was perfect.

Santana raised her head and kissed Brittany's exposed cheek. The blonde shifted and moved her arm behind her, promptly resting her hand on Santana's ass.

The Latina chuckled and kissed Brittany's cheek once more. "You, my love, have a one track mind. Sweet dreams. I love you."

Brittany's hand dropped from Santana's ass and the brunette gave her girlfriend one last peck on the cheek before getting up and taking out a pair of shorts and a shirt for Brittany to put on when she did wake up.

She walked out of her bedroom and pulled the door closed gently.

"Um, Nita?" her father asked uncomfortably.

"_Si, papi_?" Santana replied, looking up.

Her face burned at the sight of her father holding up two black bras.

_Oh crap. Oh, no. Brittany's panties…where the _hell_ did I throw them?_

"_Mija_, you can tell us," Maribel said gently.

"Uh," Santana stammered. "Yeah, s-someone's here."

"That's wonderful, Santana," Emilio said with a smile, awkwardly placing the two bras on the coffee table.

"Who wants breakfast?" Santana said suddenly. "Omelettes? That sounds awesome."

"Santana, where's Bella?" Maribel queried.

"Uh, she's with Kurt and Blaine. They wanted to take her shopping for her birthday, even though it's only next month." Santana grabbed her big pan and gently put it down on the stove, not wanting to wake Brittany.

She went to the fridge and pulled out everything she needed for omelettes and started cracking eggs into a bowl. "Sorry, Mami. You never told me what you guys were doing here?"

"We did send you a message to say we were coming to visit. Your father had a conference here yesterday and I tagged along."

"Uh, sorry, my phone is…somewhere," Santana apologised, feeling the heat rise up her back. She subconsciously rubbed the dark marks littering her neck and shoulders.

"So will Bella be back later? We're here till tomorrow evening," Maribel continued.

"Uh, yeah. But, um…I need to talk to her tonight. So, maybe we can do lunch tomorrow? Or a picnic in the park?"

"That sounds lovely," Emilio said with a smile. "_Mija_, do you mind if I check the news channels?"

Santana waved her hand and let her parents relax in the living room as she busied herself with making omelettes. She grabbed three glasses and filled them with orange juice, opening the fridge to put it back. She was so focused on her task that she didn't hear her bedroom door open and someone padding softly across the floor into the kitchen.

She squealed when she felt two arms engulf her from behind and soft kisses pressed against her neck.

"Hello there, gorgeous," Brittany whispered.

Despite the surprise attack, Santana felt a smile cross her face and she leaned into her girlfriend.

"Morning," she whispered. "Um, Britt-"

But the blonde cut her off by spinning her around and pressing their lips together. Santana instinctively returned the kiss, but then remembered who was sitting four feet away.

"B, wait," she said, breaking away.

"What?" Brittany asked, confusion clouding her eyes.

Santana just inclined her head towards the living room. Brittany turned her head and saw Santana's parents looking at them with great interest.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lopez!" Brittany exclaimed, jumping a foot away from Santana. "Um, hi!"

"Brittany?" Maribel asked, clearly confused.

The blonde waved awkwardly.

"Mami, Papi, may I reintroduce you to Brittany," Santana said, stepping forward. She glanced at the blonde with a small smile before adding, "my girlfriend."

"Oh," Maribel and Emilio said quietly.

* * *

"That was beyond awkward," Brittany mumbled once Santana's parents had left.

Santana smiled and carried dirty glasses into the kitchen. "Don't worry about it, B. They were just a little surprised. They didn't even know we were back on speaking terms, let alone back in my bed."

"Speaking of, can we go back there now?" Brittany pleaded. "I just wanna cuddle with you."

Santana couldn't stop the goofy smile from spreading across her face. She had definitely missed this feeling of being stupidly and completely in love and doing cheesy, romantic things that she'd scoffed at when she was younger.

"Absolutely," the Latina said, holding out her hand. "Let's go."

Brittany skipped to her girlfriend and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the dark bedroom. Santana quickly undressed and joined an already naked Brittany under the covers. She was always the quickest to undress. Santana didn't know how she did so fast. They had always preferred sleeping naked, loving the feeling of skin on skin as their bodies merged during sleep.

Santana lay on her back and Brittany rested her head on the Latina's toned stomach.

"San?" she asked quietly.

"Hmmm?" Santana replied, running her fingers through Brittany's long blonde hair.

The dancer was quiet for a while, but Santana didn't push her. She knew that Brittany was simply gathering her thoughts and wanted to say something without being misunderstood.

"I wanna ask you something," Brittany said eventually, her voice a little shaky from nerves. "I didn't use one of my daily questions for it cos I wasn't sure if I was allowed to know cos we were only friends then, but now that we're together, I think I'm allowed to know."

"You wanna know about Bella's father?" Santana asked softly.

Brittany just nodded, her cheek rubbing slightly against Santana's ribs. The Latina sighed to herself. She'd known that this conversation was coming. She hadn't been avoiding it or anything, but she hated the thought of how the whole thing had happened. She was ashamed, and she was terrified that Brittany would think less of her.

"It was about a month after you'd left," Santana began quietly, continuing threading her fingers through Brittany's hair. It was soothing for her. "I'd managed to go a full day without crying and Kurt and Rachel considered it to be a big step so they convinced me to go out with them. We went to this bar and I just drank way too much. I don't remember why I drank like that, I don't even remember meeting…him. All I remember is waking up the next morning and not recognising where I was and I saw this…_person_ in the bed next to me. I just grabbed my stuff and got out." Santana felt tears prickling her eyes. She almost felt like she'd cheated on Brittany. Yes, she'd gotten Bella from that and she would never regret having her daughter, but she just wished that it had been something a little more meaningful that a drunken one night stand. And preferably with someone she loved with her whole heart. Someone like Brittany.

"San." Brittany lifted her head and scooted up the bed, resting her head on the pillow next to Santana's. "I'm sorry that you regret how it happened. And you didn't cheat on me, well that's not how I see it anyway."

Santana blinked. She thought she'd said that last bit in head. Evidently not.

"I would've loved more than anything to have given you Bella," the blonde continued, "even though, you know, I don't have the means to."

Santana leaned forward and captured Brittany's lips with her own. "I'm very glad you don't have the means to," she said quietly. Then she realised how she'd sounded. "I mean, of course I would, but I'm glad you have your lady parts. Cos, you know, I really like your lady parts." She blushed.

Brittany giggled. "I like your lady parts too. And I know what you meant." She paused. "So after you walked out?"

Santana gave a small shrug. "I cried all the way home. Kurt and Rachel were freaking out because they didn't know where I'd disappeared to and my phone had died. I spent the next three days in bed. I felt sick about what I'd done. Not just the sex, but with a _guy_." She involuntarily shuddered. "When I didn't get my period the next month, I started freaking out. I went to get like twenty pregnancy tests and they all came back positive."

"And you don't believe in abortion," Brittany supplied. "You didn't think about giving the baby up, like Quinn did?"

Santana paused. "Honestly, it never crossed my mind until I was about four months pregnant. By that stage, my parents had already cut me off-"

"What?" Brittany asked in alarm.

"Oh, yeah, my dad told me that I was throwing my life away of I had the baby and I told him that I refused to have an abortion and he said that if that was my choice then we were done. But that all got sorted out. Kurt tricked them into coming to New York when Bella was eight months and we reconciled."

Brittany sighed wistfully. "I missed so much. I should've been here for you when you were pregnant. I should've been here when she was born and helped you take care of her."

"B, you told me you weren't sorry that you went on tour. Part of me wishes that you were here, of course. I can't remember how many times I cried for you, even after Bella was born. I just wanted you here, even if we weren't together. You just made me feel…safe? I dunno."

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's waist and snuggled deep into the Latina's side. Santana turned her head and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's forehead, not breaking the contact.

"Sorry for interrupting you," Brittany said after a while. "You were telling me about why you didn't go the adoption route."

Santana turned onto her side so that she was facing her blonde. Their legs entwined and arms went around each other, pulling them as close as they could get. Santana rested her head against Brittany's.

"My decision not to go for adoption was two-fold. Firstly, I saw what losing her daughter did to Quinn. She completely lost it. I was already without you. If I lost something else that was such a big part of me, I didn't think I'd cope. As it was, I was struggling to stay afloat. And secondly, I could feel her inside me. I read that there's that bond that mothers have with their unborn children and I was feeling it. Regardless of how she was conceived, that little person growing inside me meant everything to me and I knew that there was no way I'd be able to give birth to her and then never look at her again."

Brittany's eyes held nothing but love and understanding. Their fingers were softly tracing each other's skin as they spoke.

"I love you, Santana," Brittany said softly. "I know I missed out on a lot, but maybe we can create our own family. You, me and Bella."

Santana smiled. "You wanna be a family, B?"

Brittany blushed. "I just want you, San."

"You have me," the Latina replied, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend. "But we're gonna take the next few months to get back the time we lost, ok? We have eight years to catch up on."

Brittany grinned wickedly. "I know _you_ have eight years to catch up on."

Santana smiled shyly. "I'm starting to regret that I told you that," she mumbled.

"No, don't be," Brittany said earnestly, rolling her girlfriend onto her back and laying on top of her. "It just means that I get to show you extra what you've been missing out on."

Santana smiled, but it faltered slightly.

"What?" Brittany asked softly, brushing her lips over her girlfriend's cheek.

"Well, it's just that we've established my sexual history over the last eight years, or lack thereof, but…"

"Oh," Brittany said, slipping off Santana. They resumed their previous position of facing each other, entangled.

"Look, I know that I don't have any say in who you slept with or whatever," Santana said, her eyes downcast.

"No, San, I want you to know," Brittany said softly, tipping her chin up so that their eyes met. She took a deep breath. "I met this girl, Sara, about three months into the tour. She listened to me talk about you for hours and days and one night, after a huge show in London, we got really drunk and ended up having sex. I did remember it, and I remembered how weird I felt. Like when I lost my virginity to that guy at cheer camp? It felt like an alien invasion. I told Sara that I was sorry, but it couldn't happen again because she wasn't you. I think that really hurt her feelings, but I had to be honest. Unfortunately, it did happen again. And again. But it was just sex. It had no attachment to her other than physical."

Santana tried to swallow the pain at the thought of another girl being with Brittany. It was ridiculous – she had no claim to the blonde back then. Regardless, it still hurt.

"Baby,' Brittany whispered, seeing Santana struggling with the hurt. "She wasn't ever you. She could never be you. She only ever had my body. You always had everything. My heart, my soul, everything."

Santana nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's stupid. You were single. You were free to date and sleep with whomever."

Brittany said nothing, just searched Santana's eyes. She leaned forward and kissed her Latina passionately. If Santana didn't believe her words, she'd just have to show her. Santana's arms went tightly around Brittany as she pulled her impossibly close for the kiss. They clung to each other, lips moving against each other for what seemed like hours.

"I love you so much, Santana," Brittany whispered as she peppered kisses all over her face. "It's only ever been you."

"I love you, too," Santana whispered back. "And even though I trust you with everything, I'm still so scared that you're going to leave again."

"I understand that. That's why I want you to know everything that happened. I don't want any secrets or things we don't know. I don't want there to be any surprises that may shake the trust you've given me."

Santana's brow furrowed. "Is there something that could come up that would make me doubt that?" she asked in a small voice.

"No," Brittany said honestly. "Sara was the only person I ever slept with and I don't think I killed anyone. I may have some parking tickets."

Santana smiled and pulled Brittany in for a hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For coming back to me."

* * *

Brittany was stressing out. If she'd been nervous about the dinner the previous night, this was ten times worse. Shit, had the dinner really only been the previous night? So much had happened since then.

The blonde was sitting on Santana's couch whilst her girlfriend was in the shower. After an afternoon alternating between talking and making love, Kurt had called, saying that he and Blaine were headed back to drop Bella off. That had brought Brittany back down to reality pretty quickly. They were going to tell Bella. What if Bella didn't like the idea of her and Santana being together? What if she pulled the 'I won't talk to you" card that she'd threatened Kurt with?

"B, you back?" Santana called from the bathroom.

Brittany had run upstairs to shower and grab some clothes. They'd both agreed that them showering within proximity of each other would just distract them.

"Yeah," Brittany replied, rubbing her hands up and down her denim clad thighs.

"You look nice," Santana said, walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.

Brittany couldn't help but let her eyes wander up the Latina's gorgeous legs, skipping the towel and letting her gaze rest on the tops of her breasts that were visible above the towel.

"Brittany Susan Pierce," Santana smirked, putting a hand on her hip. "Are you checking me out?"

Brittany just nodded fervently and licked her suddenly dry lips. "Go and get dressed," she said quickly.

"Demanding, aren't we?" Santana said, raising an eyebrow.

"If you don't, I'll be forced to drag you back into that bedroom and have you scream my name. Again."

Santana's smirk dropped and she visibly tightened her legs.

"B, that's not fair!" Santana whined. "God, you can't _say_ shit like that!"

"Well, you can't walk around like _that_ when I'm not allowed to take advantage of it, so there," Brittany retorted with a smile.

Santana rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Brittany alone. Which meant her thoughts overran her again and she just imagined mini-Santana telling her that she didn't want her mommy to get hurt again and Brittany should just leave.

"Crap. Shit. Crap. Fuck," she muttered, squeezing her eyes closed and dropping her head onto her knees.

"B?"

Brittany raised her head and saw a concerned, clothed (thank goodness) Latina kneeling in front of her.

"What's wrong?"

Brittany sighed. "I love Bella, San. She's amazing and I've told you what a great job you've done with her."

"She loves you too, babe," Santana replied softly, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind Brittany's ear.

"But what if she doesn't think I'm worthy to be with you?"

Santana frowned. "I really don't think that's going to a problem, B. She doesn't stop talking about you. She always asks me when she's gonna see you again."

"Really?"

Santana smiled warmly. "Really, really. You ok now?"

Brittany nodded and pulled Santana into her lap. The Latina's wet hair draped around them as they met slowly for a tender kiss. They broke apart and Santana stood up, holding a hand out to her girlfriend.

"Bella will most likely be ravenous when she gets home. Come and help me make a snack for all of us?"

Brittany smiled and took the proffered hand. She and Santana happily moved around each other in the kitchen, preparing a simple chicken noodle salad. The blonde poured them each a glass of white wine and gave her girlfriend a kiss before jumping onto the island and just watching Santana busy herself. When the salad was done, Santana came to stand in between Brittany's legs and gave her a lingering kiss.

"It'll be fine, B," she said softly. "Just remember that I love you."

"Love you too, San," Brittany replied with a smile, leaning forward for another kiss.

The front door flew open and Santana jumped away from Brittany.

"Mommy!" Bella squealed, running into the kitchen.

Brittany just watched as Santana picked her daughter up and held her close.

"I missed you, baby girl," she whispered.

"I missed _you_, Mama," Bella replied with a smile. "But I had so much fun with Kurt and Blaine! Come and see all the stuff they got me!"

Santana rolled her eyes at Brittany, who smiled. It hurt a little that Bella hadn't even noticed her sitting there. Blaine walked into the kitchen and leaned against the island that Brittany was still perched on.

"Did you guys have a good time last night?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," Brittany said with a blush. "It was great, thanks."

Blaine smiled. "I'm really glad you guys decided to give it another shot," he said in a low voice. "No matter what Kurt thinks, I think you two belong together."

"Thanks, Blaine," Brittany said, smiling warmly. She though it was strange that she wasn't mad that Kurt had told Blaine. "And for the record, I think we belong together too."

"Britt!" Bella exclaimed.

Brittany turned around and saw Santana's daughter waving her over enthusiastically. She jumped off the island and went to stand behind the couch.

"What's up, Little B?"

Bella reached back grabbed her hand. "Come sit here. I wanna show you what I got."

Brittany walked around the couch and let herself be pulled forcefully down onto the couch. Bella pulled an entire wardrobe's worth of clothes out of the bags at her feet. Tops, dresses, leggings, shoes, jewellery.

"Wow, Kurt, you really have an eye," Brittany complimented, holding up a beautiful red dress. "Little B, you would look super awesome in this."

Bella giggled. "Mommy says that us Latinas have red hot blood, so we wear red to make that hotness come out."

Santana chuckled. "How do you manage to remember these things?"

"I have the memory of an elephant," Bella said seriously, turning to her mother.

Santana looked guilty at having apparently insulted her daughter's intelligence. She winked at her girlfriend when Bella's attention was back on her new gifts.

"Kurt, you spoil her," Santana said, half disapprovingly, but also with a smile on her face.

"Oh, let me," Kurt replied, dismissing it with a wave. "This little girl is going to have her face anywhere and everywhere. She's gotta look good doing it."

"Why's my face going to be everywhere?" Bella asked, turning around.

"Because you're going to be famous!" Kurt declared dramatically.

"But I don't want to be famous," Bella said seriously.

Brittany looked at Santana, who had a look of surprise on her face. "Do you know what you want to be when you grow up, Bella?"

Bella nodded and turned to her mom. "Well, I'm still choosing. But I want to be a doctor, like Abuelo, or a dancer, like Brittany."

Brittany felt her heartstrings constrict. Bella wanted to be like her. Like _her_. Santana's daughter considered her a role model. She caught Santana's loving smile and let a huge one cross her face.

"And I think that's our cue," Kurt said quietly. "Missa Bella, we're going to leave you now."

_Cute nickname_, the blonde thought with a smile.

Bella jumped over a surprised Brittany, who caught the little girl instinctively.

"Fare thee well, good sir!" Bella said dramatically, throwing her arm over her eyes.

Brittany giggled.

"You sure you don't want to go into theatre?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah," Bella said, waving. "Bye, Blaine! Bye, Kurt!"

Brittany held Santana's daughter in her strong arms as she climbed onto Brittany's shoulders.

"Isabella! Brittany is not a playground!" Santana said sharply.

"It's ok," Brittany giggled. "She needs to be agile if she wants to be a dancer."

Bella flopped heavily into Brittany's lap. "What's agile?"

Brittany looked down at Bella, then at Santana helplessly. She knew what the word meant, but she didn't know how to explain it.

Santana smiled. "Baby, you know the rule when you want to know what a word means."

Bella sighed and jumped off Brittany's lap. She ran into her room and came out with a massive dictionary. She held it out for Brittany to take, which the blonde did and Bella climbed into her lap again. She laid the book on the little girl's lap and they looked for the word 'agile' together. Brittany glanced up at Santana, who was sitting back in the couch, one leg tucked underneath her, just watching them with a smile on her face.

"Is this it?" Bella asked, pointing to a word and looking up at Brittany.

The blonde shook her head. "Close, though. Think about what it sounds like and what letters you'd use."

_Whoa. Where the hell did that little bit of genius come from?_

Brittany looked to Santana, who gave her an impressed look and a wink.

"Agile," Bella muttered. "Is that a j?"

"Remember when I told you that there are some letters that sound like other letters in certain words?" Santana stepped in, getting a relieved look from her girlfriend.

"Oh," Bella said, nodding. "Like c can sound like s?"

"Exactly," Santana said with a smile.

A few minutes later, Bella confidently pointed to the right word and squinted at the definition.

"Mama, I dunno what this word says. It's really long," Bella said with a pout.

Santana scooted over and leaned over Brittany's shoulder. The blonde felt her girlfriend's fingers trace over the exposed skin on her lower back between her jeans and shirt. She shivered involuntarily at the secret touch.

"That says co-ordinated," Santana said softly, turning her head towards Brittany's.

Their eyes met and the blonde really, _really_ wanted to lean in and kiss her. She could see on Santana's face that she wanted to as well.

"To be quick and well co-ordinated in move…movement," Bella said slowly.

The little voice broke Brittany and Santana's eye sexing and they looked down.

"Perfect," Santana said proudly.

"You're really clever, Bella," Brittany said with a smile.

"So if I want to dance, I need to be quick and have good co-ordinates?"

"Co-ordination, baby," Santana corrected with a smile. "And you already have those things."

"So I could be a dancer like you?" Bella asked eagerly, looking up at Brittany with Santana's eyes.

"You can be whatever you want to be," the blonde replied. "And if you want to be a dancer, then I'll teach you everything I know."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

Bella let the dictionary drop to the floor as she jumped up in Brittany's lap and threw her arms around the blonde's neck. Brittany hugged her back, hoping that Santana's daughter would still be this receptive when she found out that she and her mom were back together.

"_Mija_, we'd like to talk to you," Santana said softly, placing a hand on Bella's arm.

Bella pulled away and dropped into Brittany's lap. "Is this what you wanted to tell me last night?"

Santana nodded.

"Are you and Brittany in love again?"

Brittany wasn't sure whose face showed more surprise – hers or Santana's.

"Uh, w-what makes you say that?" Santana asked nervously.

"Well, you guys are always looking at each other and smiling and it's the same when Rachel and Finn do that and Kurt and Blaine and they love each other."

"Oh," Santana said. She looked at Brittany who just raised her eyebrows. She had no clue how to deal with these situations. "Um, Bella, would it be ok if Brittany and I were in love again?"

"Totally," Bella said with a smile. "I like Britt. She's my best friend. And I love you cos you're my mommy."

Brittany smiled and sighed in relief.

"So is Britt gonna move in?"

"Um, why would she do that?" Santana said carefully, glancing at Brittany who just smiled.

"You're in love, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then she should live with us cos then I get to have two moms," Bella said, looking at her mother with a 'duh' face.

Brittany, of course, agreed with her, but the look on Santana's face said that something else was at play here.

"Bella, we've never spoken about you having two moms," Santana said slowly. "Not that it isn't something that I'm not open to," she added quickly with a big smile at Brittany. "How did you know that having two moms was even an option?"

"Rachel told me about her two gay dads," Bella replied.

"She's dead," Santana said through gritted teeth.

Brittany needed to step in. "Hey," she said softly, taking Santana's hand and linking their fingers. "I don't think that's a priority right now."

Her girlfriend immediately relaxed. "Totally," she agreed, squeezing Brittany's hand.

"Big B, wanna have a sleepover?" Bella asked, looking up at the dancer.

"Well, I was hoping you'd let me cos I was thinking we should start on that dancing training," Brittany replied.

"Can we, Mommy?" Bella asked, putting the pout to full effect.

"Well, your grandparents are in town-"

"They are?" Bella asked excitedly.

"We're going for a picnic tomorrow, _mija_," Santana said, smiling at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Anyway, as I was saying," she gave her daughter a good-natured glare for interrupting her and Bella hid her face in Brittany's shoulder, "seeing as how we're probably going to be out a lot of the day tomorrow and I actually have a script that I need to get started on, maybe you'd like to go upstairs with Britt to dance? I'm sure she has a lot more space than we do."

Brittany's eyes widened. Santana was letting her have one-on-one time with Bella?

"Just us?" Bella asked.

Santana nodded, raising her eyes to meet her girlfriend's. They sparkled with trust and love and Brittany felt her heart pick up its pace.

"Can we still have a sleepover?"

"If Brittany's ok with a blanket hogger like you sleeping in her bed," Santana teased, poking her daughter in the ribs.

"Her mother won't be joining us?" Brittany asked softly.

"Baby, why don't you pack some things to dance in and your pjs?" Santana suggested.

Bella excitedly jumped off Brittany's lap and raced into her bedroom, singing loudly. The dancer leaned in immediately to capture Santana's lips in a soft kiss.

"Hmmm," the Latina hummed, running her tongue over her lips when they broke apart. "I'm really happy that I get to do that whenever I want."

"Are you sure about this, San?" Brittany asked worriedly. "It's a really big step."

"I know. I want you and Bella to get to know each other without me around to keep control of what's said. I want you guys to be natural. Besides," she added, scooting closer and kissing Brittany's neck, "I promised you a script."

Brittany giggled at the ticklish sensation of Santana brushing her lips across her pulse point.

"Ew," Bella declared, walking back into the living, armed with a pink backpack.

Santana laughed and pulled back. "Am I not allowed to kiss my girlfriend now?"

"She's my best friend," Bella replied with a glare.

"Um…" Santana looked at Brittany in confusion.

"Best friend status trumps girlfriend status," Brittany whispered in clarification. She smiled. It felt really good that she sometimes knew things that Santana didn't, especially about Bella.

"Ready, Big B," Bella said.

Brittany stood up and took Bella's backpack from her. She looked at her girlfriend.

"You gonna come up later?"

Santana nodded and smiled. "I'll make dinner."

Brittany leaned in for a kiss, but paused and looked down at Bella, who was eyeing them disapprovingly.

"Uh, I'll see you later,' Brittany mumbled, falling victim to the Lopez glare. She quickly pecked Santana's cheek. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Santana replied with a smile. She ruffled her daughter's hair. "Remember, you're Brittany's guest. I know you remember those manners I taught you."

Bella stuck her tongue out cheekily and giggled. Santana scooped her up and peppered kisses all over her face, causing Bella to squeal and try to push her away, laughing.

Brittany didn't think there were any sounds better than Santana or Bella's laughs.

"Mama! You're embarrassing me!"

"Well, that was difficult," Santana teased, pulling away.

She traced her finger across Bella's forehead and kissed it. Bella did the same and Santana put her daughter on the ground again. Brittany waved and blew Santana a kiss as they made their way to the door.

Santana drew a heart around her face and pointed to Brittany, making the blonde smile big. It was one of their old ways to express their love. The last time she'd used it had been at senior prom. She loved that Santana still remembered. Brittany held two fingers to her lips, moved them to her heart and pointed to Santana. The Latina returned the big smile.

"Is that some kind of secret language?" Bella queried, looking between Brittany and her mom.

"Yup," Santana replied, sticking her tongue out. "Deal with it."

Brittany laughed as Bella mirrored her mother's scrunched up nose. Things were going to be ok. She could feel it.

* * *

**A/N: Longest chapter evaaaaaaar! :) Hope it's been worth the wait! Lots of fluff. Ready? One, two, three...awwww :D Hahaha :)**

**400 reviews :) LOVE! Also, this fic has officially become the longest piece I've ever written :) Aaaand, also, also, first chapter of the new fic to be posted soon(ish) for your perusal. But don't worry, I'm not forgetting about this story and there's still a bit to go :)**

**Also, go check out my girl BrittanaAndKlaine0604 :) Up and coming writer :)**

**Much love**

**-H**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: You guys rock like a frigging stone :)**

**Originally I was actually going to skip the Bella/Britt dancing and sleepover, but after many readers professing their anticipation for it, I shall bend happily to your will :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 28**

Brittany guzzled water and took a few deep breaths. Had she been this energetic as a child? Santana had always told her that she had endless amounts of energy. How the hell had her girlfriend kept up with her? Bella just wanted to go, _all the time_.

"One more time, Britt," Bella pleaded, pouting.

Brittany grinned. She could understand how Santana found that pout irresistible. She dropped her water bottle on the couch and met Bella back in the middle of her spacious living room. Her couch was against one wall and her TV against the other. There was no table or carpet, which gave Brittany and Bella a huge space to move in.

"Let's try and do that double turn on the fifth beat," Brittany suggested.

Bella nodded and the blonde hit play. After running through the entire dance twice, Bella collapsed onto the sofa. Brittany joined her soon after.

"You're really good," Bella breathed heavily.

Brittany grinned. "You, Little B, are gonna be way better than me. You've got a handle on some of the things I only learned when I was in high school."

"Really?"

Brittany looked at Bella, who was looking at her in the greatest awe. She nodded. "Totally. And I love that you wanna be a dancer. When you said that you wanted to be like me, I wanted to cry."

"Why?" Bella asked, furrowing her brow. "Did I make you sad?"

"No, no," Brittany said quickly. "You know that sometimes you can cry if you're too happy?"

Bella nodded.

"Well, you made me so happy when you said that, that I wanted to cry."

Bella sighed and swivelled her body so that her head was resting on Brittany's stomach.

"I'm glad that you and Mommy are together again," Bella said softly. "She was always so sad, but when you started coming to movie night and stuff she was happy. I like seeing her happy."

Brittany smiled and ran her hand through Bella's hair.

"Mommy does that," Bella said quietly, sounding sleepy.

Brittany pulled her hand back. "Sorry," she apologised.

"No, I like it."

Brittany nervously returned her hand to Bella's head and started running her fingers through her hair again.

"You're not gonna leave, are you?" Bella asked.

Brittany swallowed. "No," she said honestly. "I love your mom and now there's you to love too. I don't want to go anywhere where there's no Santana and no Bella."

"Good, cos I don't want you to go."

Brittany smiled. "Best friends forever."

Bella pushed herself up and crawled into Brittany's lap. The blonde's arms went protectively around her and Bella leaned her head against Brittany's shoulder.

"Jus' a li'l nap," Bella mumbled.

Brittany couldn't help but smile. Yet another Santana trait that she loved – mumbling incoherently when she was tired.

"We can lie down," Brittany offered quietly.

Bella just snuggled into Brittany further and the blonde couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across her face. She continued running her fingers through Bella's hair until she was pretty sure that the little girl was asleep. Carefully, Brittany kept the sleeping girl in arms as still as possible whilst she manoeuvred her body so that she was lying down on the couch. Feeling suddenly exhausted herself, she gently lay Bella horizontally in front of her as she lay with her back against the cushions. She used her arm as a pillow and curled Santana's sleeping daughter to her.

Santana had trusted her with Bella and she would die before she let anything happen to the little girl in her arms. Or to her mother, for that matter.

* * *

Santana leaned back in the couch and rubbed her tired eyes. She'd been steadily working for about three hours and already had a very good idea of the direction that the script would take, but she was really missing her girls. She closed her laptop and walked into her bedroom to get a change of clothes and some pjs. She threw them into an overnight bag and picked up her laptop on her way out. She had no energy to cook. She'd just order something in for them all to eat.

She smiled as she took the elevator two floors up. She'd been to Brittany's apartment twice before, both times very briefly. It was very different to her apartment, but very Brittany with lots of open space. She'd always loved space, a place for her to run and dance and jump and spin.

She hesitated at the door. Should she knock? Should she just go in? Had they reached that part of the relationship yet?

Santana knocked softly, but there was no response. She couldn't hear music either, so she turned the handle and found it open. Not ideal when you're living in New York, but Brittany was so trusting like that. She'd have to get her to start locking her door.

Santana stuck her head in the door, but there was no movement. The lights were all on, but no sign of her daughter or her girlfriend. Santana stepped into the apartment fully and closed the door quietly behind her. She turned to the couch and stopped, her heart fluttering at the sight.

Brittany was curled protectively around Bella and both were fast asleep. Santana just stood and stared. When Bella rolled in her sleep as she often did, Brittany's arm automatically braced across her back so that she didn't fall off the couch. Santana took a shaky breath and willed her tears to stay away. Why the hell was she crying? Sure, it was probably the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, but _crying?_

_Yeah, real tough girl you are, Lopez_.

Bella had someone else to love her and protect her like Santana did and _that_ was why she wanted to cry. She _finally_ had someone to share Bella with. Of course, she had her friends and they were amazing with Bella, but having a partner that loved her and Bella equally made all the difference.

Santana walked into Brittany's bedroom and allowed herself to poke around. There was a large bed in the middle of the room and two chests of drawers on the opposite wall from the door. Behind the door was Brittany's dressing table. It was littered with purses, money and make up. It looked like a replica of her dressing table from Lima when they'd been in high school.

She was so glad that there were so many things about Brittany that hadn't changed. At the same time, she loved discovering all the things that had – they were all new little ways for Santana to love her blonde dancer. She put her overnight back next to the dressing table and took her laptop to the island in the big kitchen. It was much bigger than hers, but the apartment only had one bedroom so the space was there. She booted her laptop up and whilst she waited for it, she went to the couch and knelt in front of the two most important people in her life. She could honestly just watch them forever and never get bored.

She leaned forward and kissed Bella's exposed cheek, repeated the gesture to Brittany, adding a lingering kiss to her forehead. The blonde stirred slightly and Santana stepped back. They had probably exhausted themselves and even though it was still early evening, she knew that Bella would probably wake up in about half an hour, ready to go. Brittany would most likely be the same.

Smiling once more at the sleeping girls, Santana walked into the kitchen, grabbed herself a bottle of water and went back to work on the script. About half an hour later, she felt two arms encircle her leg. She looked down in alarm and saw her daughter looking up at her sleepily. She smiled and leaned down, picking Bella up and placing her on her lap.

"You're like a super sneaky ninja," Santana teased quietly, seeing that Brittany was still asleep on the couch. "I didn't even hear you get up."

"Hmmff rddnnrr," Bella mumbled, rubbing her face against her mother's chest.

"I'm not sure, baby," Santana said, automatically understanding her daughter's sleepy mumble. After all, she was fluent in it too. "I have some water, though? Why don't you go wash your face and I'll see if I can't find something for you to munch on till Britt wakes up?"

"S'ok, I'm up," said a sleepy voice.

Santana looked up and smiled at her girlfriend walking to the kitchen, rubbing her eye and yawning. The Latina leaned up and ruffled Brittany's bed hair affectionately.

"Didn't take you two long to tire each other out, did it?"

Brittany sat on the stool next to Santana and leaned on her shoulder. She grinned. Perfection. Seriously, this was absolute perfection.

"Bella, why don't you go wash your face to wake up, baby?" Santana asked her daughter in Spanish.

Bella nodded and kissed her mother's cheek before Santana put her on the ground. Brittany head stayed on Santana's shoulder. She turned and kissed her girlfriend's head.

"Good evening, sleepyhead," she teased.

Brittany lifted her head and stretched, giving Santana plenty of time to let her eyes roam over her girlfriend's lithe body. Her short shirt crept up, revealing pale toned abs and her back arched, pushing her breasts out. Santana licked her lips which had suddenly gone dry. Her libido now felt like someone (Brittany) had opened Pandora's box and now she couldn't get enough. She just wanted her _all the time_.

"You're looking you're about to devour me," Brittany teased, her voice tinged with sleep.

"Among other things," Santana replied with a smirk, meeting teasing blue eyes.

Brittany glanced back towards her bathroom and leaned forward, meeting Santana's waiting lips.

"Hmmm," the Latina replied, breaking apart after a few steamy kisses. "Yup, could _definitely_ get used to this."

Brittany grinned and gave her one last kiss before jumping off the stool and opening her fridge, bending over to see what she had. Whether or not she was doing it to torment Santana, the Latina's dark eyes zeroed in on the dancer's perfect ass and she had to resist the urge to walk over and squeeze it.

_Ugh. I just wanna push her up against that fridge and-_

"Mommy, wanna see our dance?" Bella asked, seeming a lot more awake.

Santana swallowed and snapped out of her erotic fantasy, meeting her daughter's smiling face.

"Uh, sure, baby girl. That sounds awesome."

She looked back at Brittany who had closed the fridge without taking anything out and the look she sent Santana told her that she knew _exactly_ what she was doing.

_She is evil_.

But it was a game they played all too well. They had since high school. Teasing was an integral part of their sexual relationship. It was probably why they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Santana was _very_ glad that the teasing was still alive and kicking. She smirked at her girlfriend and arched an eyebrow, sending her a very clear message.

Game on.

* * *

Brittany shifted slightly, careful not to wake the two girls lying in front of her. They'd all curled up on her big couch to watch _Shrek_. Brittany had sat in the corner, Santana in front of her, leaning against her chest, and Bella in between Santana's legs.

After performing for Santana, who had given them several standing ovations, they'd all made supper together, eaten, then settled down to watch the movie. Bella hadn't lasted past the first hour and Santana had followed suit with about half an hour of the movie to go. Presently, her head was resting directly on Brittany's heart, which she thought was kind of poetic. Her breathing was deep and even and Bella was curled up like a mirror image of her mother.

The movie had ended about ten minutes ago, but Brittany was very happy to just turn the volume down and watch Santana and Bella sleep. Her right hand was resting on Santana's stomach, her fingers entwined with the Latina's. She let her left hand trace soft patterns up and down her girlfriend's limp arm that was lying on Brittany's leg.

They had the picnic with Santana's parents the next day, which Brittany was a little apprehensive about, but Santana had promised her that everything would be fine. Her parents were happy that she was happy and it would just take them a while to get used to the blonde being around again.

Well, Brittany planned on being around for a very long time, so they had better get used to her. She glanced at the clock on the sound system and decided that they should all get to bed. She paused as she contemplated just how she was going to get them into the bedroom. She really didn't want to wake them up.

She softly disengaged her hand from Santana's, who sleepily tightened her grip when she felt Brittany's fingers slipping away.

"It's ok, baby," Brittany whispered, kissing her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

Santana seemed to relax again at that and Brittany used her strong arms to hold her girlfriend up as she gracefully slipped out from behind her. She gently laid her down and smiled at Santana's beautiful sleeping face. Well, she was always beautiful, whether she was awake or sleeping.

Brittany kissed Santana's left hand and placed it over her stomach, just above where Bella's head was resting. The blonde bit her lip. She quickly padded into her bedroom and switched on the light, rearranging her numerous pillows and pulling back the covers. She found both Santana's and Bella's bags and pulled out their pyjamas, laying them on the bed.

She went back into the living room and scooped Bella up gently, making sure not to wake Santana. She gave herself a little self-five as the Latina continued her peaceful slumber. She carried mini-Santana into her bedroom and lay her down on the bed. She quickly stripped the little girl, hoping to God she was doing it right.

After a lot of contemplating and manoeuvring, Brittany finally had Bella in her pjs and tucked her in on the right side of her bed, surrounding her with pillows. She undressed and put her own pyjamas on before going back out into the living room. She slipped one arm underneath Santana's back and hooked her other underneath the Latina's legs, picking her up bridal style and carrying her to the bedroom.

"Grrmmmttss," Santana mumbled, throwing one arm around Brittany's neck, almost smacking her in the face.

"It's ok, San," Brittany whispered, seating her on the bed, keeping her sitting up with one hand. "It's all taken care of."

"Lmmfffrryy."

Brittany smiled. "I love you, too, babe."

She kissed Santana's cheek and undressed her. Undressing and redressing an unconscious Santana was second nature to Brittany after the number of times she'd done it in high school. Granted, the actual redressing part had generally been interrupted and reversed, but there was no way that was happening tonight – not with Bella inches away.

Once Santana was in her pjs, as skimpy as they were, Brittany picked her up again and moved her to the middle of the bed, next to Bella. She took Santana's hand and put it on Bella's back. The Latina automatically moulded her body around her daughter's and Brittany smiled. She went through her apartment, turning off lights and the TV, before snapping the bedroom light off and climbing into bed behind her girlfriend and spooning her.

Santana backed into Brittany's embrace and the blonde kissed her girlfriend's neck.

_Yeah, she could definitely get used to this._

"Hmmrrrmmiyyin."

Brittany's head shot up off the pillow in surprise. She couldn't have heard right, surely? Maybe she was losing her touch. Or maybe, just maybe, she had understood perfectly.

Brittany grinned wildly and put her head back down, burying her face in the back of Santana's neck, breathing in her scent. Santana's mumbling played over in her head and she smiled again, closing her eyes and allowing sleep to take her over.

Santana would never remember, but she'd told Brittany that she was going to marry her.

* * *

Santana was so warm when she woke up that she didn't open her eyes, instead she snuggled back into her girlfriend who was holding her tightly.

She could feel Brittany's slow, even breathing on the back of her neck and her right hand was rising slightly as it rested on her daughter's back. She smiled. Brittany amazed her more and more every day. She didn't even remember being put to bed, but she loved that Brittany had done it without question.

She realised more with everything that Brittany did that she had absolutely made the right choice in trusting her again. It hadn't even been two days yet, but being with her blonde made everything fall into place. Sometimes, it was like they'd never been apart, but there were other times when she remembered they still had so much to learn about each other and she cherished the journey.

Brittany started stirring behind her, her hand running across Santana's stomach, slipping underneath the short tank top. The Latina opened her eyes, blinking a few times and saw her daughter still deeply sleeping. She carefully removed her hand from her back and carefully turned around so that she was facing the love of her life. Their legs immediately entwined and Brittany's hand was still underneath Santana's shirt, now running across her back softly.

Santana let her left hand run across Brittany's forehead, smiling when her girlfriend's lips turned up and she pulled her closer.

"Morning," Brittany mumbled into Santana's neck.

"Hey," Santana replied, slowly pushing the blonde onto her back. She glanced to her right, but Bella was still out like a light.

She leaned down for a soft kiss, and both Brittany's hands found their way underneath her top. Santana pulled away slightly, but Brittany followed her and captured her bottom lip in between her teeth, pulling the Latina back down to give her a steamy good morning kiss.

This time, Brittany broke away and gave her girlfriend a grin.

"_Definitely_ could get used to waking up like that," the blonde said softly, nuzzling the crook of Santana's neck.

"So why don't you?" Santana asked suddenly, surprising herself with the question.

Brittany pulled back and blinked. "Um, are you asking me…?"

"Yeah," Santana breathed, nodding slightly. "B, this is right. I know we _just_ got back together and everyone will have a shit fit," she glanced at Bella, but she hadn't moved, "but I love you. I love you more now than I did before, and I didn't even think that was possible. I don't want to let you go again. I want to see you all the time. I wanna wake up with you and go to sleep with you and have dinner and breakfast with you and-"

Brittany ended Santana's babbling with a hard, loving kiss. Santana was breathless when she broke away. The blonde brushed her lips against a tan cheek.

"You had me at shit fit."

* * *

"Bella, make sure you have a coat, please!" Santana called as she packed the last of the salad into the picnic basket resting on the kitchen island.

"_Si,_ mama!" her daughter called, making Santana smile.

"Is this ok?" Brittany asked, stepping out of Santana's bedroom with a worried look on her face.

She was wearing a beautiful floral sundress tied around her neck to show off her muscular shoulders and her…oh.

"Uh, babe, firstly, you look absolutely beautiful, but don't you think you'll get a bit cold in that? It's only March." Santana walked up to her girlfriend and kissed her gently. "Besides," she whispered, "you may want to find something that covers those." She brushed her fingers over the dark marks adorning the blonde's neck and shoulders, now fading slightly, but still very prominent.

"Oh," Brittany said with a deep blush.

Santana grinned back and gave her one more kiss.

"Hey!" Bella interrupted. "Mommy, stop doing that!"

Santana looked up and rolled her eyes. Seriously? Her own daughter was cockblocking her?

"Jeans and a blouse, babe," Santana called to her girlfriend's disappearing back. "And one of my leather jackets."

"K!" came the reply.

"Mommy, you can't kiss Britt like that all the time," Bella scolded her mother.

Santana walked back into the kitchen. "_Mija_, you do understand that Brittany's my girlfriend and that we do kiss, right?" she said slowly, eyeing her daughter.

"Duh," Bella replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm not stupid. But she's my best friend."

"Yeah, I know. Best friends trump girlfriends."

Bella nodded proudly.

"Well, Brittany and I were best friends _and_ girlfriends in high school, so how does your theory work with that?"

"You kissed your best friend?" Bella asked, wrinkling her nose.

Santana nodded and smiled.

"So does that mean I have to kiss Britt?"

"What?' Santana asked in alarm. "No! Only I get to do that." She frowned. "You don't get to kiss anyone until you're in high school." She took a deep breath. "This theory of yours is very confusing."

"I know. Now I'm confused too."

"So how about we just say that you don't kiss Britt cos you're best friends, but I do because she's my girlfriend?" Santana suggested, hoping that this would be the _one_ time she could catch her daughter out.

Bella eyed her mother carefully. "I'll have to think about it," she said finally.

_Well, that's progress, isn't it?_

"Ok, how about this?" Brittany announced, modelling her new outfit.

"Hot, babe," Santana said, smiling and winking.

"Super pretty," Bella agreed.

"Good," Brittany breathed in relief. "I think half my wardrobe's on your bed, San."

"Well, we've gotta find place for it anyway," Santana said with a happy smile.

"Why?" Bella asked curiously.

Santana met Brittany's eyes. They hadn't actually gotten round to telling her daughter because Bella had woken up soon after their conversation, demanding breakfast and breakfast led to another dance session and then they'd realised that they were going to be late meeting Santana's parents at the park.

"Um, Bella, you remember when you asked me if Britt was gonna live with us?"

Bella nodded and smiled. "Cos you love each other."

"That's right," Santana said, meeting her girlfriend's eyes with a loving smile. "Well, we talked about it and we decided that you were right."

"So Britt's gonna live here?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Is that ok?" Brittany asked nervously.

"Yes!" Bella squealed, running to the blonde and hugging her legs tightly. "Now I get to have two moms!"

_Shit. What do I say to that? Obviously I want Britt to be in Bella's life as more than my partner, but is that what she wants?_

"Little B, we're jumping the gun," Brittany said, eyeing Santana carefully. "How about we take things one step at a time?"

"Ok," Bella said happily.

"Hey."

Santana looked up at Brittany's soft call and saw nothing but love and patience in her eyes. She knew Brittany was telling her that whenever she was ready, she would be too. The Latina's vision blurred as tears crept out, running slowly down her face. Before she knew what was happening, Brittany's arms were around her.

"I love you, San. Don't cry. It's gonna be ok."

"Happy tears, B," Santana sobbed quietly. "I don't deserve you."

"What? Of course you do! Don't say that please? I love you and I want only you and I wanna be with you forever. I…" she faltered, not sure what else to say.

"I know, Britt," Santana replied, wiping her tears away messily. "I love you, too." She held onto the blonde tightly, her next words getting muffled in her girlfriend's shoulder, "and one day we will be a family, I promise you."

Brittany pulled away and pressed her lips to Santana's tears, kissing them away.

"You and me, San," she whispered. "We run the world."

Santana couldn't help the laugh that escaped. Brittany always knew what to say to make her smile.

"Mommy?"

Santana looked down at her daughter's concerned face. She knelt down and smiled.

"I'm letting my emotions run away with me. I'm sorry, baby girl. I'm ok, I promise."

Bella searched her face before deciding that her mom was telling her the truth. She ran her finger over her forehead and Santana smiled, leaning forward and kissing her.

"Ok, let's go! Your grandparents are going to kill me if I deprive them of any Bella time."

Hearing her daughter laugh as Brittany swung her out the door put a big smile on Santana's face that lasted all the way to Central Park.

* * *

It actually turned out to be quite a pleasant day weather-wise as Santana found a spot close to a small pond. Brittany and Bella immediately went to look at all the animals around the pond, leaving Santana to set up the picnic. She didn't mind. She loved that Bella had someone to do all of these little things with. Of course, she had never minded, but Brittany was genuinely as enthusiastic about ducks and butterflies and garden pixies or whatever as Bella was, so why not let them be happy in their own little world?

"_Mija_!"

Santana looked up and saw her parents walking towards her. She stood up and greeted them warmly.

"Where's our granddaughter?" Emilio asked and Santana had to smile at his excitement. She loved how her parents loved her daughter.

"She's down by the pond with Britt."

"Brittany's here?" Maribel asked in surprise, glancing at her husband,

"Yes," Santana said, drawing out the word and narrowing her eyes. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"Oh, no reason," Maribel said brightly.

"Mami, don't start that nonsense with me," Santana snapped in Spanish. "If you two have a problem with her, you tell me right now."

"_Mija_, it's not that," Emilio said, his calm exterior starting to fade.

Santana held her ground. It wouldn't be the first time that she and her father had a shouting match.

"Then what? She's not good enough? Let me tell you something about that woman. She loves me. She loves Bella. She will do _anything_ for either of us and I…" Santana caught herself. That wasn't something her parents needed to know she'd started thinking about. "She loves us and that should be enough for you. I'm happy. I'm really, really happy."

Maribel and Emilio looked at each other and had the kind of silent conversation that Santana and Brittany had all the time. When they broke their gaze she looked at them with an expectant eyebrow raised.

"_Mija_, we just remember how broken you were when she left-"

"God, why does everyone harp on about what happened _eight years ago_?" Santana snapped. "Yes, she left. Yes, it hurt like hell. But I got over it. And I never stopped loving her. I regretted not fighting for her then, and by some miracle we found each other again. I'm _not_ letting her go this time. I think you'll remember what happened the last time you forced me to make a choice."

Emilio eyes darkened. "Santanita, now listen to me," he barked in Spanish. "We have apologised for that more times than I care to count and I think we've made up for it ten fold. Your mother and I love you and we want to make sure that you and Isabella are protected."

"But I _am,_ Papi. Don't you see that? She's not going to hurt me again. She knows exactly what I went through without her and I know what she went through without me. Neither of us want that again." Santana paused. Speaking in Spanish always seemed to tire her out, probably because she always spoke with so much passion. "She's my soul mate. I was incomplete without her and now I'm whole again."

Maribel stepped forward and engulfed Santana in a tight embrace. "_Mija_, I trust you, I do. You've made mistakes in the past and learned from them. If you feel that this is right, then I support you. I only ever wanted to see you happy."

"I am happy, Mami," Santana said quietly.

Maribel stepped back and gave her husband a look. He and Santana looked at each other without saying anything. Santana's resolve broke first.

"Daddy, I love you," she said in Spanish, throwing her arms around his neck. "Just please be happy for me?"

"I am, Santanita. I am."

"Ok, how about we get this picnic set up? We skipped breakfast for this."

Santana chuckled. "Bella never misses breakfast. It's her favourite meal of the day."

Brittany and Bella came running up to the blanket at that point.

"Mama, the ducks!" Bella squealed excitedly. "They sang to me!"

"Did they now?" Santana asked, smiling.

"They totally did," Brittany said with just as much excitement. "I thought maybe we could use them in the musical but then we'd have to take them away from their home."

"The mommy and daddy ducks would be very sad," Bella agreed, looking forlornly at Brittany.

Santana just smiled at her two girls and saw Maribel with the same smile across her face.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez," Brittany said, sitting next to Santana. "Thanks for letting me crash your family picnic."

Santana didn't stop unpacking and subtly took in her parents' reactions.

"Brittany, please, you've always been part of this family," Emilio said with a genuine smile.

"And nothing's change, young lady. You haven't called us Mr. and Mrs Lopez since Santana brought you home the second week of first grade," Maribel added.

Santana saw Brittany blush and she smiled.

"Thanks, Mari and Lio," she said quietly. "I know things between me and San kind of happened quickly, but I really want you to know that I love her so much and I'm never going to leave her again."

"You can't leave," Bella piped up, holding out her juice box to Brittany, who took it and put the straw in for her. "If you do, I'm gonna have to go all Lima Heights on your ass."

Santana dropped the bottle of water she'd just taken out of the basket, Emilio choked on his breadstick, Maribel's mouth dropped open and Brittany squirted Bella's juice box all over herself in shock.

"Isabella Lopez!" Santana scolded. "Apologise to Brittany right now. You do not use language like that."

"But you-"

"Now." Santana didn't often use her glare on her daughter, so when she did, it got the desired effect and quickly.

"Sorry, Britt," she said quietly, looking down.

"I-It's ok," Brittany stammered, still recovering. She looked down at her now purple blouse. She sighed. "Come here, Little B."

Santana sat back to watch the exchange about to take place. Bella hesitantly took Brittany's hand and sat in her lap.

"I'm gonna make you a promise," Brittany said solemnly, holding out her pinkie to Bella, who wrapped her own small one around it. "If I ever do anything stupid to hurt you or your mom, you my full permission to go all Lima Heights on my ass."

Bella's eyes went wide and Santana moved to step into the conversation.

"And your mom can't tell me off for saying A-S-S because I'm older than her so I'm allowed to," Brittany said, looking at Santana pointedly, causing her already open mouth to close quickly.

"So do we have a deal?" Brittany asked, turning back to Bella.

Santana's daughter looked at her to check if this was some kind of test or joke, but Santana just smiled encouragingly at her.

"Deal," Bella said with a smile, giving Brittany's pinkie a sharp pull.

Brittany laughed and started tickling Bella, who immediately started giggling.

"We don't have anything to worry about, Lio," Santana heard her mother murmur to her father in Spanish.

"_Si, mi amor_," Emilio replied quietly.

Santana grinned widely and caught Brittany's eye, sending her a secret sign. Brittany winked and licked her lips, sending Santana a very sultry look. The grin on the Latina's face faltered as she felt that familiar tug in her gut. God, she loved that woman.

* * *

**A/N: Lots of fluff cos I felt like it and you guys seem to enjoy it :)**

**Question…I have this story, a novella, that I wrote. I'm debating whether or not I should put it up on FictionPress. What do you guys think? I trust your opinions more than my friends ;p**

**-H**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: OMG guyssss! I was rereading from Ch. 20 and there are SO many spelling and grammar mistakes *runs and hides in embarrassment*. Truly apologise. Chapters will all be checked and reloaded.**

**Can you believe I started this fic only three short weeks ago? Tempus fugit…**

**Also, fluff seems to be the flavour of the day so prepare yourselves for a little more…and for some more jelly Britt (**_**I'm **_**excited for that :D).**

**Enjoy and send your feedback my way!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 29**

Brittany yawned widely and stretched before turning onto her side and curling back behind Santana and throwing an arm around her, hugging her tightly. Her girlfriend responded sleepily, snuggling back. Brittany smiled at the feeling of Santana's naked ass rubbing her core every so slightly. Normally, Brittany would have the Latina on her back and be between her legs before she'd even woken up properly.

But it was Monday, which meant that their fairytale weekend had come to an end and it was back to the real world. Even though the pair had made sweet love for hours before falling asleep, Brittany felt wide-awake. She had energy, which normally she'd put to very good use with her tongue, or her fingers…

_Ugh. Now I'm horny._

Brittany buried her face into the back of Santana's neck, but the intoxicating scent of her girlfriend wasn't helping. The blonde moaned mournfully and rolled onto her back, running a hand through her hair. Santana must've understood her moans because she lifted her arm and grabbed her phone, checking the time. She replaced it and rolled over, landing on top of Brittany.

"We have twenty minutes before the alarm goes off," she mumbled, placing sleepy kisses across Brittany's chest.

"You sure?" Brittany asked.

"Hmmm," Santana replied, meeting her girlfriend's mouth for a kiss.

It was soft and languid and so, so beautiful. They moved together and came together perfectly. Brittany lay on Santana's stomach afterwards and they both breathed a little heavily.

"I love you," Santana said softly, running her hand over Brittany's head.

Brittany smiled into Santana's abs and kissed them softly. "I love you too."

They lay like that, just being with each other until Santana's phone started chiming. The Latina moved slightly to turn it off before sitting up, forcing Brittany into her lap. The blonde looked up at her beautiful girlfriend, with a combination of bed and sex hair framing her face as she smiled down.

"You get more beautiful every time I wake up with you," Brittany whispered, resting her hand against Santana's cheek.

She leaned into it and kissed Brittany's palm. "We need to get up, babe."

Brittany nodded, but neither looked like they were going to move anytime soon. They just stared into each other's eyes, having a conversation that only they understood.

Santana's back up alarm went off, breaking their gaze. Brittany rose from Santana's lap and stretched again, finding some muscles a little stiff from their morning love tryst. She felt a pair of lips graze across her back and glanced behind her to see Santana on her knees, the covers hanging around her waist.

"I feel like we need a week like spring break in Columbus to catch our bodies up with each other," Brittany said with a smile. "I can't stop wanting you _all_ the damn time."

"Hmmm," Santana hummed in agreement. "Just as well you're moving in."

"Mama?"

Brittany and Santana both whirled around, pulling the covers up over their naked bodies. Bella was standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, her one hand on the door handle. Brittany glanced at her girlfriend who had the same panicked look on her face that she was sure she did.

"Morning, baby girl. Why don't you go and wash your face and pick out your clothes for the day?" Santana suggested nervously, subtly making sure that she was completely covered.

Bella nodded sleepily and walked towards the bathroom. Santana fell back against the pillows, an arm over her eyes. She was shaking her head slightly.

"She didn't see anything, San," Brittany said soothingly.

"_This_ time," Santana replied with a scowl. "God, we're going to have to be really careful. We can't just have sex whenever and wherever anymore. It's not like before, B. If Bella ever walked in on us, that would scar her for life."

Brittany shrugged to herself. "I think we look hot when we have sex."

"Seriously, B? You're thinking about our sex tape when my daughter almost walked in on us?"

Brittany sighed. "San, we're going to be living together and I _know_ that it's gonna be just as hard for you to keep your hands off me as it is for me to keep my hands off you. With the amount of sex that we're _going_ to be having, your daughter is going to figure out that something is happening. So, we have two options: we can try and play dumb, but I think we both know Bella wouldn't appreciate that. Or we can give her a codeword so that she knows that she can't disturb us during that time."

"A codeword?" Santana repeated. "Like what?"

"I dunno. Something simple and innocent."

Santana grinned. "Like eating guavas?"

"Ew," Brittany said, wrinkling her nose, but sporting a huge grin. She leaned forward and kissed Santana. "I love your dirty mind."

"Hmmm," Santana hummed, licking her lips when Brittany pulled away. "You can use the shower first if you want."

Brittany pushed the covers off and stood up, flexing her arms to get the blood flowing. Santana's eyes were fixed on her chest as her breasts bounced at the action and she bit her lip, rolled her eyes and buried herself in the covers. Brittany chuckled and grabbed Santana's bathrobe from the back of the door, humming as she made her way to the shower.

* * *

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Santana knocked on DC's office door and peeked inside after his call to enter. He smiled at her and stood up.

"Come in, come in!" he said. "I trust you ladies had a good weekend?"

"Uh, yeah, that would definitely be one way to describe it," Santana said, sending Brittany a small grin.

They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of DC's desk. As they'd discussed, Santana took point.

"Um, DC, we have something we want to tell you. It's not something we _have_ to tell you, but we'd like you to know because we trust you and we think it's fair."

"Ok," DC said slowly, sitting back down. "I feel like I should be worried."

"Well, no, you don't need to be. I mean, I don't think you need to be. We're professionals," Santana said.

DC gave the Latina an interesting look, and then gave Brittany the same one.

"Are you two together?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

Santana threw up her hands. "Seriously, we obviously _suck_ at looking like we're not together."

Brittany shrugged. "I don't mind that," she said softly.

Santana sent her a small smile that was returned. "Uh, for the record, DC, yes, we are together. And we just wanted to let you know that we will remain absolutely professional whilst on school grounds and representing the school and all that. We just didn't want you to hear something from someone that could call your judgement into question."

"Oh, pish posh," DC said dismissively. "I'm very happy for the both of you. I must admit, I did have my suspicions. Not many people look at each other the way you two have been looking at each other. Besides that, your sexual orientation or your choice of partner has no bearing on your abilities as teachers at this school. You're still two of my best, most popular teachers and I'd like it to stay that way."

Santana flushed and a quick glance to her left showed her girlfriend with a similar expression.

"Thank you, DC," Santana said sincerely. "I can't tell you how much we appreciate your support on this."

"I somehow don't think it would've mattered," the principal said with a grin.

Santana chuckled. "No, it wouldn't have."

DC laughed lightly and then sat up suddenly. "Oh, Santana, while I have you here, there's something I'd like to tell you."

"Oh?" Santana asked, suddenly a little worried that she may have done something wrong.

"Well, it's more a congratulations, really," DC continued. "As you know, Mr. Fuller is no longer with us and although we've filled his post, his seniority needs to be accounted for."

Santana's heart started thudding. Could this be in connection with the HOD position that she'd heard DC slip up about last week?

"I know you haven't been here all that long, but your track record is immaculate and your hard work speaks for itself. If you'd agree, I'd like to offer you the Head of Department position in our English department?"

Brittany gripped her hand and squeezed.

"Um, DC, th-that's amazing," Santana stumbled. "I-I don't know what to say."

"Say yes, silly!" Brittany encouraged.

"Oh, yes, yes! I totally accept!"

"Excellent," DC said, standing up and shaking Santana's hand. "There's a little bit of paperwork that we need to go over. When would be good for you to do that?"

"Um, well we finally have a script for the musical," Santana started.

"San wrote it," Brittany said proudly.

"Multitalented," DC said, impressed.

"Hmmm," Brittany agreed and Santana sent her a warning look after detecting her not so subtle undertone.

Brittany just wrinkled her nose mischievously.

"Anyway, we need to get casting as quickly as possible," Santana continued. "But maybe we could go through it quickly first thing after school? It normally takes the kids about half an hour to get changed and settled before we're ready to start rehearsals anyway. Britt can always get them started."

"Perfect. I'll see you then. And Santana, keep up the good work."

Santana just smiled warmly and turned to leave the office. They were barely out the door before Brittany wrapped her up in a bear hug. The Latina did her best to hug her back, but her arms were pinned at her sides.

"San, ohmygod! I'm _so_ proud of you!" she squealed.

"Thanks, B," Santana replied in a soft voice, still letting the news sink in.

"Everything's happening for us," Brittany said, releasing her girlfriend slightly, looking at her with bright eyes.

Santana smiled widely. "I guess you must be my good luck charm."

Brittany grinned and her eyes went wide as she suddenly got an idea. Santana just looked at her, waiting patiently for the blonde to share her thoughts.

"San! I just came up with the perfect codeword!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Good luck! We can tell Bella that we need some good luck, which means she can't disturb us."

Santana chuckled. It actually was quite perfect.

"You're brilliant, babe."

Brittany grinned and started automatically leaning forward but immediately caught herself. Santana felt her heart melt at the little pout her girlfriend was now sporting.

"Damn, I really wanna kiss you," Brittany mumbled.

Santana glanced at her watch and grabbed Brittany's hand, pulling her quickly to the dance studio. Between that and her classroom, the studio was closer. She opened the studio door, leaving the lights off and pulled her girlfriend inside, closing the door behind her and locking it.

"I love being sneaky," Brittany giggled, reaching for the Latina in the dark room.

Their bodies met and their lips collided. They didn't need to see each other in order in order to perfectly mould their bodies together. Brittany's tongue stroked against Santana's, causing the Latina to moan and push her against the nearest wall. She bit Brittany's lip gently, encouraging the blonde to grind their hips together, and trailed soft kisses down Brittany smooth neck.

"Careful," Brittany breathed. "I've barely managed to cover the ones you've already left there."

Santana grinned wickedly and just ran her tongue from the crook of her neck to her ear, sucking gently on the earlobe. She felt Brittany's legs give a little and just pushed her harder against the wall, slipping a leg between the dancer's thighs.

"God, San, we can't, not here," Brittany moaned, but her hands told Santana a very different story.

"Fuck, I _want_ you," Santana growled, pressing her leg against Brittany's core.

The blonde shuddered in pleasure. "Quickly," she hissed.

Santana didn't need a second invitation. She dove her hand into Brittany's pants and immediately pushed into her with two fingers. The dancer's hips bucked and she moaned. Santana captured her lips and pumped in and out faster than she ever had before. Sure, she and Brittany had had their fair share of quickies in the bathrooms of McKinley, but that was when they could afford to be late to class. They didn't have that luxury now, but it didn't stop Santana from desperately needing to feel Brittany come around her fingers.

"Fuck!" Brittany squealed, digging her fingers into Santana's shoulder. "Oh, San...keep going."

Santana used her thumb to brush over Brittany's clit a few times, taking her higher and higher until she curled her fingers inside, hitting that special spot inside Brittany and sending her over the edge. She smiled as the blonde softly moaned her name.

The dancer collapsed against her girlfriend and Santana kissed the side of her face as she slowly brought her down.

"Thanks, babe," Santana said with a grin. "I really needed that."

"Hmmm. Your turn at lunch,' Brittany mumbled into Santana's neck.

Santana chuckled. "You think I need some luck, B?"

"I think you need some _fucking_ good luck," Brittany said, lifting her head and crashing her lips to Santana's.

Santana couldn't stop the moan from rising in her throat. It was hard enough keeping her hands to herself around Brittany, but knowing that she was probably going to get an amazing orgasm at lunch made the tension almost bearable.

Almost.

* * *

Santana could barely wait for lunch to come around. She'd had pretty much nothing else on her mind since the first bell had forced her and Brittany to come out of their dark hiding place. Her girlfriend had done her best to look presentable and to everyone else she simply looked a little flushed. To Santana, who knew every single square inch of her body, she was still recovering from her orgasm and her skin was slightly clammy.

Her students may have noticed that something was off, but they didn't say anything. Santana berated herself after completely missing a question because a fleeting vision of Brittany backing her up against the wall had taken over her brain.

_You've _just_ been given a huge promotion and all you can think about is getting off? Priorities, Lopez!_

Santana groaned inwardly at her conscience. Number one on her priority list was getting Brittany's fingers inside her. She was _so_ horny and attempting to distract herself with her job hadn't decreased that need at all.

The lunch bell was due to go any minute and there was a soft knock at Santana's door and she eagerly looked up, but frowned when she saw Kate walking in with a pleasant smile on her face.

_At least my classroom's full of kids. She won't try anything stupid here._

"Sorry to disturb," Kate said in a low voice, kneeling next to the desk. She handed Santana what looked like an exam. "I think I may have a cheater."

"What?" Santana asked in alarm. "Are you sure?"

Kate shrugged and gestured to the exam. "Those answers are word for word from my memo. I've had that memo on my computer and it's password protected."

"Hmmm," Santana mused, her eyes skimming the neat writing. "Unfortunately, those computers aren't idiot proof. It doesn't take a lot to get someone's password on this system."

"Looking to pursue a career in hacking, Ms. Lopez?" Kate asked in a teasing tone.

Santana frowned disapprovingly at her and went back to the exam. She glanced at the name at the top and sighed. It was a scholarship kid who'd been struggling over the last few weeks. She'd dropped a grade in Santana's class too.

The bell rang and Santana stood up. "Guys, please read up to the end of chapter twenty for tomorrow. Thanks." To Kate, she said, "Leave this with me. I'll talk to the student today and see what's going on."

Kate frowned. "I was planning on giving the exams back after lunch."

"Delay it a day," Santana replied. "Look, with situations like these, we _have_ to be sure that there's not some kind of misunderstanding. I know this girl. She's a hard worker. I'm not of the school of thought that someone is guilty until proven innocent. Everyone deserves a chance to tell their side of the story."

Kate just smiled at Santana and the Latina suddenly felt claustrophobic again.

"We're done here," she said firmly as she saw Kate lean forward slightly.

"Sure about that?"

"I am," said a voice from the doorway.

Santana closed her eyes in relief.

"You know, Kate. Santana and I have been chatting and I think that it would be best if you refrained from making suggestive comments towards my girlfriend," Brittany said, walking into the classroom, her arms folded across her chest. "She doesn't like it, _I_ sure as hell don't like it and you're just making a fool of yourself."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Kate remarked, mirroring Brittany's defensive stance.

"Oh, I'm _very_ sure of myself," Brittany replied. "Because you seem to be the only one in this room who's under the delusion that you even stand a chance with Santana."

"Are we still doing the pretend girlfriend thing?" Kate asked, looking between Santana and Brittany in amusement. "It's cute, really, but I'm not stupid."

Santana snorted and Brittany's lips curled into a smile.

"I'll say this one more time, Ms. Remington." Brittany walked right up to Kate and looked her in the eye. "Stay. Away. From. Santana."

Santana felt her insides turn to mush. As much as Brittany enjoyed her being controlling, she _loved_ it when Brittany laid such public claim to her. Kate's confidence seemed to falter.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind leaving, Santana needs some good luck," Brittany added, giving her girlfriend a devious look.

Santana had to sit down as her legs started to wobble at the reminder that she was ridiculously turned on.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Kate asked, rolling her eyes.

Brittany got right back in her face and Santana squeezed her legs together.

"It _means_, new girl, that my girlfriend is horny as hell and I plan to fuck her quite senseless as soon as your psycho ass is out that door."

Santana couldn't help a little whimper that escaped at Brittany's dominance. Kate backed away looked from Brittany to Santana and back. The lovers had locked eyes and the sexual tension between them was becoming quite palpable.

"See, _now_ I believe that you're a couple," Kate remarked, hurrying towards the door after a glare form Brittany.

The blonde gave Santana a heated look before turning around and walking to the door and locking it.

"There's a no locked doors policy here," Santana mumbled, her core starting to ache at Brittany's predatory approach to her.

"So why'd they put locks on the door?" Brittany smirked, stopping at the edge the desk and crooking a finger to her girlfriend, telling her to stand up.

Santana shakily stood, feeling the uncomfortable dampness of her underwear.

"You want me really badly, don't you?" Brittany husked, snaking her arms around Santana's waist.

The Latina nodded fervently and leaned up to kiss Brittany, but the blonde pulled away.

"Did I say you could kiss me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'm in charge here, Ms. Lopez. I make the rules."

Oh, God. Santana felt her knees wobble again. Role play sex was the _best_.

"You may want to make space on your desk there, Ms. Lopez," Brittany instructed, releasing her hold on her waist. She stood back and watched as Santana quickly cleared the one half of her desk as neatly as she could – Brittany would just make her do it again if she didn't do it to her satisfaction the first time. She'd played this game enough times in high school to have the rules engrained in her memory. And even though eight years had passed, the memories just came flooding back like they'd happened the previous day.

"Are you always so neat and tidy, Ms. Lopez?" Brittany asked when Santana was done.

"Yes, Ms. Pierce," Santana replied politely.

"Well, I may just have a test for you, then," Brittany replied, stepping close to Santana again and causing her heart to beat faster. "You're gonna sit your sweet little ass on that desk and I'm gonna go down on you."

_Holy Jesus sweet fuck._

"And you're not going to make a sound."

_Shit._

"You think you can keep yourself neat and tidy when my tongue's inside you?"

Santana swallowed the squeak of arousal that desperately wanted to jump out and she squeezed her thighs to try and slow down the throbbing between her legs. She nodded furiously, not trusting her voice.

"Good," Brittany said with a smug smile. "Take your pants off."

Santana had never stripped her slacks off so quickly.

"Sit down."

Santana obeyed, biting her lip at the predatory look in her girlfriend's eyes.

"Remember now, Ms. Lopez," Brittany said, kneeling in front of Santana, "neat and tidy."

Santana gripped the edge of the desk hard and took a deep breath. This was going to be worse than childbirth. Brittany leaned in licked up Santana's underwear. It wasn't skin on skin, but the Latina could still feel it and she shivered in pleasure, biting hard on her lip to keep the moan from escaping.

"Impressive, Ms. Lopez," Brittany commented slyly. "Your restraint is commendable."

Santana couldn't say anything. She was too terrified that any sound would mean that Brittany would stop and she needed this release _so badly_. Brittany pulled her underwear down and Santana could feel her breath against her dripping pussy.

_God, touch me, something, _anything_, please!_

Brittany seemed to hear Santana's silent plea and flicked her tongue over her clit, causing the Latina to jump suddenly and rattling the desk. Brittany gripped her thighs and held her steady as she repeated the action.

_Jesus, if she does that again, I'm done for._

Santana had been building herself up since that morning for this orgasm. Her body was so receptive and sensitive that it already wasn't going to take much to send her into orgasmic bliss.

Brittany dropped her head slightly and traced around Santana's entrance with the tip of her tongue. Santana had to stop breathing for a few seconds to halt the moans that threatened to tumble out of her mouth. Her chest started heaving in exertion. Brittany noticed and smiled, sticking her tongue inside Santana and rolling it around once. She pulled out and licked her lips, smiling satisfactorily.

"I'm very impressed, Ms. Lopez. So very neat and tidy. I'm gonna eat you out now, so make sure to behave yourself."

Santana was almost sure that she was embedding her nails into the desk and Brittany's cavalier dirty talk. It drove her crazy. The blonde disappeared between her legs again and Santana inhaled sharply at the sensation of her being filled with Brittany's amazing tongue. Thereafter, it didn't take very long for Santana to feel that big knot in her stomach tighten to the point of explosion. Brittany always seemed to know when she was close, even though Santana wasn't making any noise, so she withdrew her tongue and flicked her clit, finally giving Santana that release she'd been aching for the whole day.

The Latina trembled as aftershocks ran through her body. Brittany brought her down carefully and Santana could feel her tongue softly cleaning her. She loved the attention her girlfriend paid her after going down on her.

The blonde stood up between Santana's legs and kissed her exposed neck, sucking gently on her pulse point – not hard enough to leave a mark, thank goodness.

"Well done, Ms. Lopez. Would you like me to do that again?"

Santana nodded with a dreamy smile on her face. Hell yes. Brittany was welcome to do that as many times as she liked.

"But first," Brittany whispered, kissing up onto her girlfriend's face, "go out with me?"

Santana pulled away and looked into Brittany's eyes.

"Are you asking me on a date?" she asked quietly, a small smile crossing her face.

Brittany nodded shyly. Santana gripped the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Their tongues tangled and Santana's head spun at the taste of herself in Brittany's mouth.

She broke away and rested their foreheads together. "I would love to go on a date with you, Britt."

"Awesome," the blonde replied with a huge grin. She looked down at her hands that were slowly running up and down Santana's naked thighs. "We should probably get your pants back on."

"Hmmm," Santana replied, grinning. She slid off the desk and pulled up her underwear, followed by her pants.

"Oh, baby, you made a little mess," Brittany teased, pointing to where Santana had been sitting on the desk.

"Fuck, you are kidding me."

But she wasn't. Santana went as red as a Latina could go and buried her face in Brittany's back. The blonde chuckled and reached into Santana's bag for a tissue to clean off the small trail of juices left behind.

"Baby, don't be embarrassed," Brittany cooed, tossing the offending tissue into the bin next to Santana's desk and turning her girlfriend around in her arms so that they were facing each other. "You know I love it when you get so wet for me."

"You have no idea," Santana mumbled into Brittany's chest.

Brittany tipped her chin up and kissed her softly. "I love you. And if this is going to become a daily occurrence then I'm super amped."

Santana let out a reluctant laugh. "As _incredibly_ tempting as that sounds, with our luck, we'd be caught very soon."

"True," Brittany conceded. "I think that I'm gonna have to actually start making use of my office in the studio."

"You have an office?" Santana asked in surprise.

Brittany grinned. "I've hardly been in it. But, I'm guessing now we have a reason to be there, oh, say, every day at lunch?"

Santana bit her lip and met her girlfriend's gaze. She stood on her tiptoes so that her mouth was right next to Brittany's ear and whispered huskily, "Is it soundproof?"

* * *

Brittany's advanced class finished the last movement of their routine as the final bell rang and she clapped.

"Couldn't have timed it better myself, guys. Great job."

She knew Santana had that meeting with DC now before she met them in the auditorium for the first auditions. The news that they finally had a script had flown around the school and the sign up sheet had exploded with names. Of course, this only made Brittany more excited about the whole musical. This was exactly the kind of response she'd been hoping for. She was confident that they were going to find a hidden gem amongst the student body that would absolutely shine in this musical.

Brittany's mind suddenly went to her date with Santana and she allowed a goofy smile to cross her face as she picked up her phone and found Rachel's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Rachel!"

"Who is this?" the diva asked suspiciously.

Brittany frowned. "It's Brittany…bitch."

The blonde smiled at the chuckle on the other end. "Apologies, Brittany. I don't have your number on my phone."

"Oh, I got all your numbers from Santana's phone last night," Brittany said.

"You and Santana spending a lot of time together then?" Rachel asked, trying to sound casual.

"Uh, yeah," Brittany said with a smile. "Duh."

"Well, I'm glad you two are friends again. Life definitely was more dull without our blonde ray of sunshine around."

"The sun's blonde?" Brittany asked in confusion. "How do you know that?"

Suddenly, what Rachel had said sunk in and Brittany pulled a face. She'd totally forgotten that no one but Kurt, Blaine and Santana's parents, and of course Bella, knew about their relationship. That complicated things. Brittany bit her lip. Would Santana hate her? She'd been pretty mad that one time she'd let slip in high school about them sleeping together.

"Uh, sorry?" Brittany asked, realising that Rachel was saying something.

"I asked if you were calling about the musical. You know, Santana should really consider my expertise in these-"

"No, I didn't," Brittany cut her off, not in the mood for a Berry-logue. "Well, sort of. I was wondering if you might be able to watch Bella tonight? Uh, Santana and I have our first day of auditions today so we're probably going to be at school pretty late. But we'll come by and fetch her after we're done?"

Brittany held her breath, hoping Rachel wouldn't hear her terrible lie. She hated lying, she really did. But it was for Santana and she always did what she could to please Santana. A smirk crossed her face as she remembered their delicious lunchtime quickie. Santana had been putty in her hands, or rather, on her tongue.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Rachel replied. "I'm surprised that Santana is calling me herself though. Especially after what happened last time."

"Yeah, I know. She asked me to call because she's had class all day and she's now got a super important meeting with the principal and then we're going straight into auditions. I had a bit of free time now."

"All right," Rachel agreed, seeming satisfied with Brittany's reasons. "Will you let us know when you're leaving the school?"

"Definitely," Brittany promised. "Have a good night, Rachel!"

"You too, Britt."

_Phase one complete._

* * *

**A/N: Date = next chapter! :)**

**So, I've decided to focus on this story for now because my confidence has been a little shaken with the response to **_**Role Reversal**_**. I'll stick with the one people like :)**

**Also, I did say I'd let you know when I'd start putting my novella on FictionPress, so consider this your notification :) My handle is the same and the story's name is **_**The Trouble With You**_**. I'll update every day because the story's already written :)**

**Other than that, enjoy! :) Lots of sex, I know. Maybe I'm compensating for something….**

**-H**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: 181 favourites, 316 alerts, 478 reviews. Guys…I am absolutely speechless with gratitude.**

**I never thought that I would get this kind of response for my first fic and you have given me all the confidence I need to ignore the idiots on here and give YOU what you want.**

**So, enjoy :)**

**Also, Role Reversal is back on track :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 30**

Brittany held two pages of sign up sheets in her hand. She was a little shocked. She knew that people were excited about the prospect of a musical, but she had never expected it to be _this_ popular. Over thirty people wanted to audition for parts. Brittany knew that not all of the students auditioning may actually be _able_ to sing, but they had twenty-one roles to fill and not much time to do it in.

"Hey," a familiar voice breathed, slipping into the chair next to her.

Brittany turned and smiled widely at Santana. She looked a little rushed and out of breath, but it was one of Brittany's favourite looks on her.

"Hey, baby," she replied, dropping one hand onto Santana's thigh and squeezing gently.

Santana smiled and put her own hand over Brittany's, entwining their fingers. She broke their loving gaze and looked down at the sign up sheet.

"Wow. Is this everyone who wants to audition?"

Brittany nodded. "Well, we do have a lot of roles to cast and the script isn't even finalised."

Santana ran her free hand through her loose hair and sighed. "Yeah. Guess it's gonna be a late night tonight."

"You have something in mind?" Brittany asked, grinning wickedly. She wiggled her eyebrows and Santana giggled.

"Not what I meant, Miss Sex-on-the-brain. I meant I was going to try and finish the script tonight."

"Oh," Brittany said in disappointment, trying not to stick out her bottom lip in a pout. She knew that it was Santana's biggest weakness and she didn't want to make her girlfriend feel guilty about anything.

"B, what is it?" Santana asked softly, her brow furrowing in concern. She shifted a little closer, keeping their fingers entwined.

"No, it's nothing," Brittany said dismissively.

"Brittany."

The blonde sighed. Sometimes it really sucked that Santana knew her as well as she did. It meant that she could never keep anything from her. Which, considering they were in a relationship, maybe wasn't such a bad thing.

"Well," Brittany began, "I was kinda hoping I could take you out tonight."

Santana smiled. "On our date?"

Brittany flushed a little and looked down. It was ridiculous that she was nervous about taking her girlfriend out on a date when they'd already done pretty much everything else that a couple does. They'd had the amazing sex, done the I love you's, met the parents (well, Santana's), and gained the approval of the friends. Well, some of the friends.

Typical Brittany and Santana though – they never did anything according to the norm.

"I'd love that, babe," Santana said softly, her voice making Brittany look up again.

"Really?" She smiled hopefully.

"Totally," Santana replied, her eyes sparkling.

"Ok, that's really good cos I already asked Rachel to look after Bella."

_Uh oh_.

Santana's smile had faltered a little.

_Shit_.

"I did something bad, didn't I?" Brittany whispered.

Santana slowly took her hand back and moved away. Brittany felt her heart hurt at the gesture. Why, why, _why_ had she done that?

"I'm sorry," she whispered and gripped the sign up sheet with both hands.

She flicked the mic on and called the first person onto the stage.

* * *

An hour later, they'd gone through the first page of students and all but one had been pretty good. Brittany had been right – there was a wealth of talent at Griffin Hill and they just hadn't had the means to express themselves.

Santana sighed inaudibly and glanced sideways at her girlfriend. She was busy writing a list of people they'd definitely decided on, with another column for the maybes.

To say that the last hour had been awkward would be an understatement. Their discussions had been short and brief and they hadn't even really looked at each other since Santana had pulled away from Brittany.

Well, she felt that she had a valid reason, although now that she'd had a chance to think about it, she may have overreacted. Brittany was just trying to surprise her. At least she'd made sure that Bella wouldn't be forgotten _again_. That was sweet, right?

But Santana was her _mother_. That was the stuff that she should be doing. Yes, she loved Brittany and _one day_ she'd want the blonde to make those kinds of decisions on her own without a problem. But they had only been back together for three days and it wasn't ok that she'd just assumed she could make a decision concerning Bella without talking to her first.

Having had the last hour of uncomfortable silence to think things over, Santana had begun to wonder why she was mad at Brittany for doing something so simple, something that she probably would've had to do anyway considering that they still had so many auditions to get through. Was it about control? The blonde wasn't shy about pointing out one of Santana's major flaws. She trusted her, right? She'd told her that much. And now was she going back on her word?

Santana frowned and stared at a small patch of woodwork on the table in front of her – something that she'd found right around the second student audition.

"Ben Radcliff?" Brittany said into the mic and Santana winced at the monotone. It was so unlike Brittany and she knew that it was because of her.

Ben walked onto the stage and Santana immediately thought of Boo Radley from _To Kill A Mockingbird. _Not in looks or anything, though. A small smile crossed her face. She knew Ben. He was in her class and he was actually really bright, but quite quiet.

"Hi, Ben," Brittany said brightly into the mic. Santana knew it was fake. "What are you gonna sing for us today?"

"Uh, I don't really know a lot about musicals, but I like to sing so I thought I'd give it a go?" He said the last part as though he was asking a question.

Santana leaned to the mic and tried to ignore the pang of pain in her chest at Brittany moving further away, maintaining the distance between them.

"Ben, don't worry about the music or about the show. Right now, we just want to know if you can sing. So what song have you got for us?"

"Well, I only really listen to rock, so I picked _Seize The Day_-"

"Avenged Sevenfold," Santana said with a smile. "Great song."

Ben grinned and nodded to the pianist, who pushed play on an iHome that had been set up. Ben shuffled his feet and pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his school chinos. Santana recognised nerves when she saw them, but when Ben opened his mouth and started to sing, she wondered what on earth he needed to be nervous about.

_Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost__  
__It's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over  
__I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time__  
__But I'm too young to worry__  
__These streets we travelled on will undergo our same lost past_

Santana swallowed. The song choice was excellent. The singer was amazing. The lyrics, however, were getting to her.

_I found you here, now please just stay for a while__  
__I can move on with you around__  
__I hand you my mortal life, but will it be forever?__  
__I'll do anything for a smile, holding you 'til our time is done__  
__We both know the day will come, but I don't want to leave you  
__I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time  
__But I'm too young to worry  
__(a melody, a memory, or just one picture)  
__Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost  
__It's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over_

Santana turned and saw Brittany's jaw was clenched, a sure fire sign that she was trying desperately not to do something that she really wanted to. Santana had a suspicion and slowly slipped her hand under the table and reached into the blonde's lap for her hand. As expected, they were clasped tightly together, the fingers running over each knuckle.

They stilled the moment Santana's fingers brushed against the back of Brittany's hand. The Latina used her deft fingers to pry open her girlfriend's iron tight handclasp. It didn't take very long for Brittany to relax her hands and let Santana entwine their fingers again.

Brittany's eyes met hers with uncertainty, but Santana gave her a small smile and leaned into the mic, focusing on the nervous boy on the stage, but squeezing Brittany's hand.

"Ben, that was awesome. I know _exactly_ who I want you to be in the show."

"Uh, so I got a part?" Ben asked in confusion.

Santana smiled. "You nailed it. Best audition I've heard today."

Even from way up in the seats, Santana could see the faint blush that crossed the boy's neck. He rubbed it subconsciously.

"Who knew that you had such an awesome voice hiding away all this time? Keep your eyes on the notice board, ok?"

Ben nodded and jogged off the stage. Santana clicked off the mic and turned to Brittany, just holding her gaze.

"I'm sorry," Brittany murmured eventually.

Santana nodded. "It's ok, B. I know that you were only trying to help. I'm sorry I got mad. Next time, maybe just talk to me about it first, ok? We don't wanna mess this up by assuming things too quickly."

Brittany fervently and squeezed Santana's hand.

"I promise I won't do that again," she swore. "I love you, San. Thank you for not being mad at me."

"When have I ever been able to stay mad at you?" Santana teased.

"When we broke up," Brittany said, before her filter could kick in.

Santana swallowed again.

_Yeaaaah…_

The blonde had a point though.

"Sorry," Brittany mumbled. "I'm sorry."

She tried to pull her hand away from Santana's, but the Latina held her fast.

"Hey, listen to me. This isn't eight years ago. I'm not running away just because you said something without thinking or you hurt my feelings. I'm a big girl now, B. It's gonna take a lot more than some words to get rid of me."

"B-b-but words are what hurt us last time," Brittany whispered, her beautiful blue eyes suddenly filling with tears.

_Oh, crap. Now I'm done for. A crying Brittany is too much for me._

Santana moved quickly. She pulled her chair flush next to Brittany's and put her free arm around her girlfriend, gently stroking her neck. The blonde laid her head on Santana's shoulder, taking deep breaths and sniffing quietly every now and then.

"You ok, baby?" Santana whispered.

She felt Brittany nod into her neck.

Santana pulled Brittany up gently and found her eyes again. Any trace of the tears was gone, but there was definitely an uncertainty.

"I love you," Santana said. "We're gonna talk more about this tonight, ok? When it's just us. But I think we really need to get back to these auditions otherwise I'm never gonna get us out of here in time for our date."

Brittany's face brightened and she smiled, the atmosphere in the entire room changing. Santana smiled back, the small, secret smile that she reserved only for Brittany.

* * *

She was nervous. Again. It seemed that any excursion with Santana brought about these feelings of panic within Brittany that convinced her that she was going to do or say the wrong thing to make her girlfriend vanish from her life once more. There was no way that the blonde would survive without Santana and Bella around. She'd fallen so completely in love with both of them (Santana, simply more so) that she didn't know what she'd do without them in her life.

Brittany shook her head and rummaged around in her closet for her dark skinny jeans. She wasn't going all out fancy because they'd done that on Friday. She was planning to take her somewhere secluded and romantic, with a little bit of dancing and a little bit of spice.

The blonde finally found her elusive pants and pulled them on, whilst at the same time searching her hangers for the perfect complementary top. She smiled at a little silver number from back in Lima. Santana had loved this top on her because it was "shimmery and made her boobs pop". Granted, Santana had been in a drunken haze when she'd whispered those words to her after they were entangled on Brittany's bed after a big party. That was back in the days when sex wasn't dating.

Brittany glanced at her phone and saw that she was actually running a little late. Although, considering she'd showered, shaved and washed her hair in ten minutes, she wasn't doing too badly. She couldn't wait to start moving all her stuff into Santana's apartment - no, into _their_ apartment.

She blamed Santana for her rushed preparation, and it wasn't even because they'd been too wrapped up in each other to remember the time – Brittany wished. Their two incredibly hot sessions that day at school hadn't sated her appetite for the Latina by a long shot.

Anyway, she blamed Santana. They'd spent half an hour arguing about casting Grace or Hilary in the role of Julie, the scripted glee club's star. Eventually, they'd decided that a call back for the two of them would be best. Both could sing and act, but Santana thought Grace had more of the superstar quality that she envisioned Julie to have.

Brittany rolled her eyes. She knew that Santana would get her way because she'd written the script _and_ was director. But Brittany loved seeing that passionate fire dancing in her girlfriend's eyes. It made her so happy to be a part of something that Santana really enjoyed and felt strongly about.

Humming to a song playing around in her head, Brittany quickly did her make up, keeping it simple and more natural, the way Santana liked her. The blonde smiled at the thought of taking her _girlfriend_ out on a _date_. A month ago, she would never in a million years have dreamed that she, Brittany S, Pierce, would be taking Santana Lopez, the love of her life, her soul mate, out on an actual date.

Brittany giggled to herself and grabbed her jacket, purse and house keys before pulling her apartment door closed behind her. When the lift opened on Santana's floor, she took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She knew what she was about to do was totally cheesy, but she also knew that her girlfriend _loved_ cheesy.

The door opened and Santana stood there with a smile, her bare feet poking out from underneath her skinny jeans. Brittany smiled at the black nail polish Santana still loved. She was wearing a t-shirt, but the blonde knew that she probably still busy getting ready. Her hair was piled onto her head and Brittany thought she still looked like the most beautiful girl on the planet. And on all the other planets too. If they had girls, that is.

"Good evening, Ms. Lopez," Brittany said formally. "I'm here to pick you up for our date."

Santana grinned widely. "I'll be right with you, B. Just gotta find some shoes to put on and change my shirt."

Brittany nodded and stepped inside, uber polite the whole time. Santana loved to be wooed and courted and all that other stuff. Sure, she didn't mind going to fancy places, but Brittany knew that her girlfriend was going to love the date she had planned.

Santana had disappeared into her bedroom and Brittany stood next to the door, waiting patiently. After about five minutes, Santana stepped out and Brittany's eyes widened.

_Gulp_.

Yes, she did just do the cartoony gulp in her head. _That_ was how beautiful Santana looked. She wasn't glamoured up or anything and Brittany loved it. She had her skinny jeans on, complete with some sexy black heels and a low cut black top. She had her black leather jacket over her arm and her hair was lying around her shoulders in soft ways.

"Santana, you look absolutely breathtaking," Brittany said softly, her eyes finally meeting her girlfriend's dark ones after a luxurious tour of her body.

"As do you, B," Santana replied with a wink.

Brittany proffered her arm. "Shall we?"

Santana smiled that special Brittany smile and hooked her arm into her girlfriend's. They walked out and Santana pulled the door closed behind them, locking it.

* * *

Santana was itching to know what Brittany had planned for their date, but she was being all cute and chivalrous and Santana loved it. She loved being treated like a lady. And she loved that Brittany loved treating her like a lady.

"I've never been to this part of New York before," Santana commented, looking out of the cab window.

"I used to come here all the time when I was back home for a break between tours," Brittany replied, her thumb brushing over the back of Santana's as their interlocked hands rested on the seat between them. "I found this awesome place hidden away."

"Is that where we're going?" Santana asked, not even trying to keep the excitement out of voice.

Brittany smiled and nodded.

_Score_.

Brittany's surprises were the _best_. Ever since they'd been kids, the blonde had managed to show Santana how much she meant to her in the smallest of gestures at the most random of times. When they were eight, Brittany had waited outside Santana's house on the first day of school with a handpicked daisy and handed it to the Latina, saying that it reminded her of Santana's smile.

On Santana's eleventh birthday, Brittany had managed to convince everyone at the Latina's pool party that the birthday elves had taken her for a special trip to the forest to get her present because only the most beautiful and kind birthday girls get to become princesses. Everyone had assumed that Brittany was on some kind of hallucinogenic trip and left without complaint. In fact, Santana had just started her first period and was petrified of going out to face everyone. For the rest of her birthday, she and Brittany had curled up on Santana's bed and watched movies. Brittany had jumped at Santana's every need and the Latina was pretty sure she'd fallen in love with Brittany that day.

"Hey."

Santana snapped out of her daydream and turned to smile at Brittany.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

"The day I fell in love with you," Santana smiled, snuggling into her girlfriend, laying her head on her shoulder.

"When was that?" Brittany asked curiously.

Santana relayed the story that had played in her head a few moments before and smiled when her girlfriend chuckled.

"I almost forgot about that. I'm surprised you remember."

"Why?" Santana asked in surprise.

"You just never seemed like the type to remember those little things. I mean, I know how you were with me, but you were always so cold and short with everyone else, jumping from guy to guy. I didn't think that sentimentality meant a lot to you."

"You mean a lot to me," Santana said quietly. She wasn't offended by what Brittany had said – it was a conversation they'd had many times over the years. "I remember everything with you because it was with you."

Brittany pressed a kiss to Santana's head and the Latina could feel her smiling.

"What's the first thing you remember about me?"

Santana smiled. That was an easy one. "It was the third day of first grade. You'd started a little late because your family had only just moved to Lima and the teacher paired you with Suzy Pepper because your names were next to each other on the class roster. I remember looking up and seeing the most amazing blue eyes and that gorgeous smile and I remember thinking that your were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen and that I would make sure you were my friend cos I wanted you all to myself."

Brittany chuckled. "That's so you. Sweet and protective. You were always like that with me, even though you didn't need to be."

"I know," Santana said, toying with the bottom of Brittany's top. "I wanted to. I wanted you to be as happy and carefree as you wanted to be because that's the Brittany I fell in love with. But society and reality don't always let us be what we want to, so I did what I had to so that you could stay that amazing, beautiful, kind person."

Brittany was quiet and Santana was afraid that she'd said the wrong thing. When she lifted her head, though, she saw tears tracking down her girlfriend's cheeks.

_Shit! Twice in one day, Lopez. Gold fucking medal._

"No, no, no, Britt, I didn't mean to make you cry," Santana said quickly, using her thumb to brush the salty drops away.

"Good tears, San," Brittany whispered. "I never think that I could love you more than I already do, but every day you do something to prove to me that there's always space for me to love you more."

Santana blushed at Brittany's passionate words. Her eyes were shining as she said them and Santana believed her without a moment's thought. Brittany never lied, _especially _about her feelings.

The cabbie cleared his throat and Santana sat up, holding Brittany's hand tightly.

"Uh, we have arrived, ladies," the driver said nervously.

"Thanks," Brittany said brightly, hurriedly wiping her face and handing the cabbie some money. She opened her door and ran around the other side, causing a big grin to break out on Santana's face.

Brittany opened the door and held out a hand. Santana accepted it readily and allowed her girlfriend to pull her out of the car.

"Have a nice evening!" the blonde called to the cabbie before he drove off.

Santana took in the view. It was a cute little Mexican place and reminded Santana of Sundays at her Abuela's house. She could hear music from inside and she smiled even wider. Brittany loved everything about her heritage and had been only too happy to accompany Santana to a cousin's wedding or niece's birthday. And naturally, she'd been an absolute hit with everyone.

"I know that this could be hard," Brittany said softly, squeezing her hand. "But I wanted you to know that I love every part of you. And that we should celebrate the next step in your career by celebrating who are."

"You are amazing," Santana said simply, turning to her girlfriend and pulling her in for a kiss.

It was soft and loving. Brittany smiled and slipped an arm around Santana's waist.

"Shall we go in, my love?" she asked.

Santana just smiled and let Brittany escort her to the door.

"_Buenos noches, senoritas_," a young woman greeted. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Brittany Pierce."

"Ah, yes, table for two," the hostess said with a smile. She grabbed two menus. "Follow me, _por favor_."

Brittany held Santana's hand as she followed the hostess. Santana just took in everything around her. She could hear Spanish milling around her and it made her grin. There was definitely something intoxicating about it. It made her just want to randomly break out into a Spanish poem or something.

_You don't know any Spanish poems, moron_.

She didn't care. She'd frigging come up with one on the spot.

"Baby?"

Santana's attention snapped to her girlfriend, who was standing next to a table set for two, against the wall and in the far corner.

"Secluded enough for you, _senorita_?" the hostess asked.

"It's perfect," Brittany replied. "Thank you so much."

"_Gracias_," Santana added.

"_Maldita sea, esa chica está muy bien. Aferrarse a ella_," the hostess whispered to her as she walked past.

Santana chuckled, but Brittany looked confused.

"What did she say?"

"I'll tell you once you let me sit down," Santana replied with a coy smile.

Brittany was catapulted into action and quickly pulled out Santana's chair gracefully, letting her girlfriend slide into it. She immediately moved the chair opposite Santana next to her. The Latina smiled and intertwined their fingers. After a few minutes of just looking at each other, Brittany reminded her girlfriend that she needed to translate what the hostess had said.

"She said that you were fine and that I should hold onto you," Santana explained, bringing their joined hands up and brushing her lips across Brittany's knuckles. "Just as well I plan on doing just that."

Brittany blushed. "I have a favour to ask you," she said quietly.

Santana leaned in, partly because she'd almost missed what the blonde had said with the noise, but also because she loved being so close to the love of her life.

"Anything," she replied. "You've already made this the best date ever."

"Would you order for us? In Spanish?"

Santana smiled. She knew Brittany loved it when she spoke Spanish, _especially_ when their bodies were pressed against each other and they'd just made love.

"_Sin duda, mi amor_," Santana replied. "Certainly, my love," she added, seeing Brittany's brow furrow slightly.

"I remember the _mi amor_ part," Brittany said proudly. "You used to call me that all that time."

"Do you want me to call you that again?" Santana asked, steering the conversation back to the one she'd interrupted during the auditions. They needed to talk about whatever was going on. She wouldn't have any secrets between them.

"San, I don't care what you call me, as long as you call me yours."

Santana's breath caught in her throat. It was so simple, so beautiful, _so_ meaningful and so, so Brittany.

"God, I love you so much," she choked out, her emotions getting the better of her.

"I know," Brittany replied warmly.

Santana gave her a quick kiss, pulling away when a movement next to them caught her eye. She sat back and greeted their waiter. As per Brittany's instructions, she ordered their drinks and food in Spanish, enjoying her girlfriend's eyes grow steadily darker as the words rolled off her tongue effortlessly.

"That was so hot," Brittany said breathlessly.

Santana grinned and pried Brittany's hand from its grip on the edge of the table. She entwined their fingers and sat forward again so that their faces were mere inches away from each other.

"B, we should talk about what happened earlier," Santana ventured and she hated seeing that uncertainty creep back into Brittany's gaze, but the blonde nodded. Santana took a deep breath. "You know that I love you. And I know that you love me and Bella. I know that you would never do anything to put us in harm's way. I _do_ trust you with her, I do. I just…" she trailed off, wanting to find the right words.

"I understand," Brittany said quietly. "I don't think I can put it into words, but I understand why you were upset."

"You do?"

Brittany nodded slowly. "I know our history together is…colourful and our break up wasn't exactly amicable, so it's only normal that you're apprehensive with me. You already took such a huge leap trusting me with your heart again and then trusting me with Bella. And if I haven't said thank you for both, then you need to know that they are the two greatest gifts that you have ever given me. Two gifts that I will guard with my life and take with me to the grave."

Santana swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You make everything sound so simple," she replied with a wry smile. "It kinda makes me feel like an idiot for not giving into you sooner."

Brittany frowned. "Is that what you think, San? That you gave into me? That this was something I contrived to get you back?"

Santana thought for a moment. "Did I give into you? Yes, but I also gave into me. I knew how I felt about you. I've known for months, but I kept trying to convince myself that you were going to hurt me again. But when I looked into your eyes on Friday, all that insecurity and doubt and fear just went away. You reeled me back with a look that told me everything I needed to know."

"And what was that look?"

Santana lifted her shoulder and smiled. "That you loved me. I knew that your love would always be enough. B, you're the kind of person that loves with every single part of you. Some people love with their hearts, some people love with their souls, some people love with their bodies, but you love with your _entire_ being."

Brittany smiled. "But that's the way I love you. I've never loved anyone else the way I love you."

"I know, B. And that's how I knew that we'd be ok. Yeah, we're bound to have some rough patches, but I knew, in that moment, that we were worth fighting for. That _you_ were worth fighting for. Brittany, you're everything."

The blonde's eyes shone and she crept forward for a kiss. It was chaste and appropriate for the setting, but it said so much more to the two women experiencing it. They spent the next few minutes just staring at each other, their eyes saying all the things their mouths didn't need to. The waiter arrived with their drinks, but Santana stopped him before he left.

"_¿El deejay hacer peticiones_?" she asked.

"_Estoy seguro que lo hace, pero yo me iré y una doble comprobación para usted_," he replied.

"_Gracias_," Santana said and smiled.

"What was that?" Brittany asked suspiciously.

Santana chuckled. "I just asked him to check something for me," she replied, taking a strand of blonde hair and twirling it around her finger. "Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad."

"I really need to learn Spanish," Brittany mumbled, but Santana caught it and laughed.

"You really are so adorable," she cooed.

Brittany grinned.

"Babe," Santana started, her tone becoming serious. She saw Brittany's expression change too, but the blonde was attentive. "You know that I'm not mad anymore, right?"

Santana knew that she didn't need to elaborate further than that with Brittany.

The blonde nodded slowly. "I know you're not mad _now_, San. But you were. And you were mad at me. And that sucks. I hate it when I make you mad."

"But, baby, I made you mad too," Santana replied quickly.

"Yeah, but I left you. That was pretty bad."

"I told you I hated you."

"Oh, yeah. That was pretty bad too," Brittany agreed thoughtfully, but there was no anger in her tone.

"Britt, we've been though this, haven't we? We agreed that we both hurt each other and that we both said things we would never normally say. Are you scared that you're going to say something to make me that mad again?"

Brittany dropped her head and nodded slightly. Santana tipped her girlfriend's chin up.

"Baby, the only thing that could make me that mad again, would be for you to tell me that you're leaving. But you promised me that you wouldn't-"

"And I won't," Brittany broke in quickly. "I promise, San, I'm not ever, ever leaving you again."

"Well, that's good," Santana replied, her mind going back to that little nagging thought, the thought that no one knew about. It made her smile at the idea of their long future together.

"What are you smiling about?" Brittany asked curiously, a small smile also playing on her lips.

Santana shook her head. "Just the future."

Brittany's smile widened. "I'm super excited for the future. I'd wish it here already, but it kinda is cos every second takes us from the present to the future."

Santana smiled. That sounded like something that her daughter would come up and end it off with her no-nonsense logical look that no one in the world could argue with. The Latina suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, B?"

Brittany squeezed her hand in response.

"It's my turn to host Glee Night this month. It's on Friday."

Brittany nodded.

"Well, I was hoping you could be moved in by then? I just don't really want boxes and things lying around. Kurt and Rachel can be nightmares about that stuff."

Brittany blinked in surprise, but Santana saw the smile growing in her girlfriend's head. The blonde leaned forward and kissed her.

"This is really happening, right? We're going to be living together again?"

Santana smiled so big that her eyes scrunched up. "I want you to be in every aspect of my life, Brittany Pierce. I want everything with you again."

Brittany grinned cheekily. "If I didn't know any better, I'd expect you to propose next."

Santana smiled. "_Aún no, pero pronto_," she replied softly.

Before Brittany could ask for a translation, the waiter appeared with their food. Santana just looked at her girlfriend, a smile permanently etched on her face. She was dying to tell her what she'd said in Spanish, but part of her wanted the eventual step to actually be a surprise.

_Not yet, mi amor. But soon, very soon._

* * *

**A/N: So that was part 1 of the date :) Part 2 to come…**

**Sorry that I didn't update this weekend. I'm all kinds of sad panda :( Just found out that I'm possibly allergic to my cats *cue noisy, horribly depressing violin music* :'(**

**Also, obviously I don't speak Spanish, so any mistakes are all Google's. I wash my hands ;p**

**Anyway, feedback is loved…**

**-H**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Ok so this was **_**supposed**_** to be updated last night, but then my flatmate came home at 1am and demanded we go out. So we did. And I got home at 4. So that's why this is only up now ;)**

**I realise now that the Spanish probably wasn't correct. I'm going to ensure that I get the experts on board to help me with the correct translations – brucasever, that's you! :) Apologies to those native speakers. Your language is a beautiful one and I only want to show my admiration for it by including it in my fic. Plus, I think it sounds super sexy ;p**

**500 reviews! EEEEK! So much of happy :)**

**Onto part 2 of the date…**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 31**

Santana caught the eye of their waiter and he winked at her. She smiled and removed her napkin form her lap.

"B?"

Her girlfriend looked up from her food and smiled.

"I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me?"

Brittany grinned widely and took Santana's outstretched hand. The Latina led her to the small dance floor and placed a hand on her waist. The blonde's eyes widened at the song that started playing and Santana grinned. She'd managed to get their waiter to convince the band to play _I Wanna Dance With Somebody_, but in Spanish. It meant a big tip for the waiter, but the look on her girlfriend's face was so worth it.

"You're gonna lead, San?" Brittany teased.

Santana grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it, B."

The blonde smiled and moved Santana's hand from her waist to her shoulder and put her own on the Latina's slim waist, but hiked it up to rest just below her girlfriend's shoulder blade.

Santana grinned. One of the best things about Brittany loving her culture was that she _loved_ the dances. She'd perfected pretty much every single one. And the tango was one of their favourites.

The first verse started and Brittany moved towards Santana, pressing their bodies together. She stepped forward and Santana mirrored her automatically. Their bodies moved perfectly, guided by Brittany's strong hand on the Latina's back. Santana slipped her leg between the blonde's as Brittany dipped her low.

Santana was vaguely aware of cheers going around the tables close to the dance floor, but her eyes were locked on her girlfriend's. They were dancing to their own song, as always. It was just them. It was another way for them to express how perfect they were together.

Brittany pulled away and spun Santana around, using her hand to steady her turns. She stopped her suddenly, dropping her into a low dip. Their eyes met again and Brittany's sparkled. She slowly pulled Santana up, joining their lips in a soft kiss. They continued moving through the steps, Brittany guiding Santana into the turns, spins and dips perfectly.

When the song ended, there was a huge round of applause and they looked around, blushing at how every table was looking at them in awe. Brittany brushed her lips against Santana's cheek and the Latina looked at her girlfriend lovingly.

"Best date ever," Brittany whispered, pulling Santana into her as a salsa number started up.

They twirled around on the floor and were glad when a few other couples came to join them. As good as they were, it was nice to have the attention off them. After three dances, Brittany pulled Santana back to their table.

"That was so much fun!" she exclaimed, sitting down and sipping her wine.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, B," Santana said warmly. "I love you."

"I love you, San."

They pressed their lips together briefly before getting back to their food, which had been mysteriously reheated before they'd gotten back to their table.

"When are we gonna tell everyone?" Brittany asked. "Won't it be like an ambush on Friday?"

"Well, I think they'll be surprised either way, babe. We may as well tell them all at once."

Brittany went quiet and started fiddling with her food. Santana put her hand over her girlfriend's and waited for her to meet her gaze.

"What is it, B?"

Brittany took a breath, dropped her eyes again, and opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"Take your time, love. There's no rush."

Santana nibbled on her food as Brittany mulled around with her thoughts, not once letting go of her hand.

"What if they don't let me be with you?" Brittany finally asked softly.

Santana frowned in confusion. "Who, baby? Rachel and Kurt? I don't think they would do that. But even if they tried, I wouldn't let them. Brittany, you are in my life now, and I don't want that to change anytime soon. Preferably ever."

"And if they make you choose?"

Santana abandoned her food and turned her whole body towards her girlfriend's. "Britt, look at me. Come on, please?" The Latina was surprised at the amount of uncertainty in her girlfriend's eyes. "Hey, what's going on? I thought that we were good? Why are you having these kind of doubts now?"

"Everything is so perfect that I feel like it's a dream. But I know it's not a dream cos you're really here and I can touch you and kiss you and stuff. But life is about balance, like ying and yang and we've been totally ying since we got back together, but we haven't had the yang yet and I'm so scared that the bad will be really bad."

Santana took a moment, dissecting Brittany's ramblings. "Babe, it hasn't been all perfect. Look at what happened today. We had our first fight. Yeah, it was something silly, but we worked through it, didn't we? And look at us now. We're out on this amazing date that you put together and it's like the best parts of both of us. Little Mexican restaurant, with a bit of dancing. It's perfect. Like us."

Santana knew that she hadn't really addressed what Brittany's fears were, but she didn't really know how to. Were they irrational? She knew better than to patronise the blonde dancer. She was incredibly sensitive when it came to feelings and how she interpreted them.

"You really think we're perfect, San?" Brittany asked quietly.

"Course I do," she replied with a smile, leaning down to brush her lips across Brittany's knuckles.

"Cos I never thought we'd ever break up, but then we did so I was wrong. What if you're wrong this time?"

Santana paused. "Brittany, I can't tell what's going to happen in the future. I can definitely tell you what I'd like to happen."

"You know what you want in the future?" Brittany asked, her natural curiosity spiked.

Santana nodded and smiled. "Do you want me to tell you what I'd like the future to be?"

Brittany nodded.

"Ok, but remember, this is just _my_ dream." Santana took a deep breath. "I'd love for Bella to find the love of her life in high school like I did. I'd love for her to graduate and have her pick of colleges, doing whatever she wants, be it medicine or dancing." Brittany smiled at that. "I'd love to start a glee club at Griffin Hill and win a national title with them. I'd love to know that I've made a difference to at least one student's life where they can look back and say, 'I have Santana Lopez to thank for that'. I'd love to keep my figure, but that may be wishful thinking."

Brittany giggled and trailed a finger down Santana's bare arm. "I'd love you no matter what you looked like."

Santana smiled. "And that's what I'd love the most. I would love more than anything to spend the rest of my life loving you and showing you how much I love you. I want to grow old with you, Brittany Pierce."

Her smile lit up the room and Santana felt her gut pull violently, but in a good way.

"You really hope that's your future?"

Santana nodded. "That's if everything goes perfectly, but if it doesn't, I'll settle for being happy in a shoe box with you and making sure that Bella can do what makes her happiest."

"You make me happiest," Brittany said with a smile, leaning in to kiss Santana.

The Latina chuckled against her girlfriend's lips. "You're cute."

Brittany scrunched up her nose in response.

"You're not going to tell me your dreams for the future?" Santana asked in surprise.

Brittany shrugged. "They've pretty much all come true."

"Pretty much?"

"Well, I got to go on tour, I'm teaching dance and I'm with you."

"That's it?"

"Well," Brittany said. "There is one more thing, but I know it's going to happen someday so I'm not worried."

Santana was intrigued. "What is it?"

Brittany smiled mischievously. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret now would it?"

"I thought we weren't keeping secrets?" Santana teased, leaning forward on her elbows.

"Hmmm, good point, but seeing as how you already know what it is, I don't have to tell you."

Santana frowned. "How can I know it?"

"Cos you told me," Brittany said with a smile.

"What? When?"

"Ah, now that would be spoiling the surprise, wouldn't it?" Brittany teased, bopping her girlfriend on the nose.

Santana stared at her blonde, her brow furrowed. What could she be talking about? There was only really one thing that it could be, but how on earth could Brittany know about that? She hadn't told anyone and hadn't even gone shopping for a ring or anything.

_Crap_.

What if she'd actually understood what Santana had said in Spanish earlier?

"San, stop thinking so hard," Brittany chuckled. "Please don't worry about it. It's nothing bad and it's something we both want for the future so it can only be a good thing then, right?"

"I guess," Santana said slowly. She _really_ wanted to know how Brittany had found out.

_Who the fuck cares? The love of your life has pretty much just told you that she'll say yes when you ask her! Chill the fuck out, Lopez!_

Well, for once, her conscience may actually be right. Santana leaned in and kissed Brittany hard on the mouth, leaving the blonde a little breathless when she broke away.

"Wow."

Santana smiled. "I love you. And no matter what happens, we'll deal with it, but I'm pretty sure we're more solid than we've ever been, so _I'm_ not worried."

"Really?"

Santana gave Brittany an Eskimo kiss. "Really, really."

The blonde grinned and sat back in her chair, leaving her hand entwined with Santana's.

"I'm stuffed. Is there still some ice cream at home?"

Santana couldn't help the goofy grin that took over her face.

"What?" Brittany asked in amusement.

"You said home. As in _our_ home. Together."

"Wait, was I not supposed to?" Brittany asked in alarm. "I mean, I know I haven't actually moved any of my stuff in properly and-"

Santana cut her off with a kiss. "B, you can call it our home with the greatest of pleasure. It makes me so happy that you already think of it as home."

"Really?" Brittany grinned.

Santana just kissed her again. She pulled away slightly and licked her lips. "Wanna get out of here?"

Brittany nodded fervently.

* * *

"Could you take a left here, please?" Brittany asked the cabbie.

"Babe, home's that way," Santana pointed out.

"I know," Brittany said with a smile. "We have someone to pick up first."

Santana's face broke into a happy smile and she sat up eagerly. Brittany's heart warmed at the sight of Santana excited at seeing her daughter. She'd texted Rachel to let her know that they were on their way.

"Wait here, please?" Brittany asked the driver, opening the door and climbing out. She turned around and held out her hand for Santana, who took it and squeezed.

"As much as I want you right now, I also really missed her today," Santana said, jogging up the stairs to Rachel and Finn's apartment.

Brittany chuckled. "She goes to bed three hours before we do, baby," she said in Santana's ear, darting her tongue out to lick the lobe. "I'm sure I can find a way for us to catch up."

"Oh," Santana breathed.

She pushed the button for the elevator and turned around to face her girlfriend. She put one hand behind her neck and one on her waist and pulled their bodies together, crashing her mouth against Brittany's.

Santana kissed her furiously and the blonde felt her knees start to shake. Only Santana could _ever_ make her feel so amazing and so weak at the same time. She became absolute jelly when at the mercy of her mouth, no matter where it was on her body.

The elevator opening caused Santana to pull away, but Brittany only leaned forward and captured her lips again. She felt her girlfriend smile into the kiss and only broke apart to pull her into the elevator and push the correct floor before connecting her mouth with Brittany's again. The blonde pushed her tongue into Santana's mouth roughly and toyed with the Latina's, stroking it with her own.

Santana moaned and pulled Brittany closer to her by the neck, letting her own tongue explore the blonde's mouth. Brittany returned the moan and pushed Santana up against the elevator door in an attempt to try and kiss her more deeply, although she was pretty sure that it wasn't possible.

Their hands were roaming all over each other's bodies, desperate to get skin on skin.

"Ugh," Santana finally gasped. "B, we can't…now. Have to…"

Brittany just rejoined their mouths and Santana's protest was lost in another moan.

She could never get enough of Santana. It was like the Latina was her oxygen. As soon as she had a taste, She needed all of her, everywhere, _all the time_. Her need for her was insatiable. Brittany was pretty sure that neither of them minded so much.

The blonde trailed her lips down Santana's neck to the pulse point she loved so much. Santana squealed as Brittany's tongue traced over the skin.

"Shit, B! Shit, stop!"

"What?" Brittany asked, pulling away.

Santana was looking up and the blonde followed her gaze. In the top corner of the elevator, a small camera was mounted. Brittany grinned and turned back to her flushed and thoroughly aroused girlfriend.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time there's been a camera present, babe," she said in a low voice, leaning into Santana's neck.

"Jesus," Santana hissed as Brittany's tongue started caressing her pulse point again. "Ugh, babe as _amazing_ as that feels, we have to stop."

Brittany pulled away and sighed, but she wasn't upset. "I blame you," she said matter-of-factly, twirling a strand of Santana's dark hair around her finger.

"Oh?" her girlfriend asked in amusement.

"You're too damn sexy for me to resist. It's not my fault that I can't keep my hands or my mouth off you."

A pained expression of arousal crossed Santana's face and she bit her lip.

"Right now, we're focusing on Bella," she said slowly and deliberately, her eyes never leaving Brittany's. "But rest assured that as soon as she's in bed asleep, you're going to see just how much I _love_ having your mouth on me."

Brittany felt like she could actually come right there. Santana's low voice, her smoky eyes and her smirk were enough to render her completely useless.

Santana rolled her body against Brittany's to give herself enough room to squeeze out from between her girlfriend and the wall, just in time for the doors to open.

Brittany had to take a few deep breaths, resting her forehead against the wall that her girlfriend had just vacated before her body felt like it could move again.

She turned around and saw Santana smiling at her, holding out her hand. The blonde smiled back and thread their fingers together.

"Do I look ok?" Santana whispered as the walked down the short hallway to Rachel and Finn's door.

Brittany gave her a once over and grinned proudly. Her hair was ok, but her lips were swollen, her eyes were much darker and her cheeks were flushed.

"Well, _I_ know you look like you really want me to push you up against this wall and make you scream my name, but yeah, to everyone else you look fine."

Santana's mouth dropped open and Brittany saw the subtle squeeze of her legs.

"Fuck, B. You can't _say_ stuff like that!" she whined. "I'm practically dripping for you here."

Brittany grinned wickedly and halted their movements, pulling her girlfriend against her. "Then how about we find a broom closet somewhere and do something about that?"

She could see that Santana _really _wanted to.

"Rachel knows that we're on our way, but I didn't mention how long we'd be," Brittany added hopefully. The thought of feeling Santana shuddering around her fingers had now completely encompassed her brain. She _needed_ it. Now.

Santana opened her mouth, then closed it and bit her lip, her eyes darting to Rachel and Finn's door a few feet away.

Brittany smiled triumphantly when she felt her girlfriend grab her hand and drag her back towards the elevator. Next to the silver double doors was an ordinary brown door and Santana yanked it open. Brittany happily followed her in, pulling it closed behind her.

It was pitch dark inside, but they had a photographic memory of each other's body. They didn't need any light to see what they were doing.

Brittany felt Santana's hand on her neck and pulled them together, fusing their lips. Her tongue was immediately demanding entry, which the blonde granted. Santana pushed her against the door she'd just closed and slipped a leg between Brittany's, rolling her hips hard into the dancer's. Brittany threw her head back at the welcome friction against her pulsating core. Santana dragged her tongue up the side of Brittany's neck, causing the blonde to shiver in pleasure.

"You're going to ride my fingers _hard_," the Latina said firmly in her ear. "I'm not going to do anything. You're going to do everything."

Brittany nodded quickly. God, she needed Santana inside her. She felt like she was about to burst. She hurriedly started unbuttoning her jeans and pushed them down. Her movements were frozen when she felt Santana brush two fingers against her soaked panties.

"Keep going," Santana ordered, her voice heavy with desire.

Brittany kicked her heels off so that she could push her jeans down her trembling legs. Santana wasn't stopping the movement of her fingers and it was driving her crazy.

Santana reached behind her and felt for the lock of the door, flicking it. She pressed Brittany against the door, finding her lips in the darkness. The blonde responded eagerly to the furious kissing, playing around Santana's tongue with her own.

The Latina gripped Brittany's thigh and hiked it up. The dancer immediately got the message and wrapped her legs around her girlfriend's waist, using the locked door as a brace. Santana used her thumb to pull Brittany's panties to the side, leaving her wet pussy open and so very available. She put two fingers at Brittany's entrance and stopped.

Brittany lifted her hips and lowered herself onto Santana's fingers. They both moaned at the feeling and the blonde immediately started rolling her hips, moving those _very_ capable fingers around inside her. Santana really wasn't doing anything except holding her against the door. Brittany was creating as much friction as she could to get that release she was craving so badly.

"Fuck!" she gasped, grinding down particularly hard on Santana's fingers and hitting that special spot inside her.

"Again," Santana commanded.

Brittany could tell from her girlfriend's voice that this was just as much of a turn on for her as it was for the blonde. Well, maybe not _as_ much considering that Brittany was about a breath away from an awesome orgasm.

She obliged to Santana's request and lifted her hips, dropping them hard on her fingers. She dropped one of her own hands to furiously rub her clit – she knew Santana wasn't going to do it for her. Rolling her hips again, she timed another thrust as she pushed down on her clit and it was enough to unlock that glorious explosion of pleasure.

She shuddered and Santana held her steady against the door as she came down from her high.

"Hmmm," Santana murmured, kissing the blonde's sweaty neck. "That was incredibly hot, B."

Brittany was still trying to get her breath back and feel her legs so she just turned her head and met Santana's mouth. The Latina was hungry and eager in her kisses. The blonde dropped her legs back to the ground, causing Santana's fingers to slip out of her. She closed her eyes at the loss, momentarily regretting it, but then she remembered that she had a job to do.

She grabbed the hand that had just been inside her and slowly pulled it up to her mouth. Santana hissed, knowing what Brittany planned to do. Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but they could really only see silhouettes of each other – not that it mattered.

Brittany wrapped her lips around the two fingers that had just been inside her and ran her tongue along them.

"Jesus." Santana's voice was pained.

Once Brittany had licked Santana's fingers clean, she released them with a smirk before spinning them around and slamming Santana's back against the door.

"Your turn," she whispered huskily, kissing her passionately.

Santana moaned into the kiss, her hands desperately grabbing at the skin available to her.

Brittany broke the kiss and dropped to her knees. "You ready for my mouth on you, baby?"

"Oh, God, you have _no_ idea," Santana moaned, her hips bucking off the door in her desperate need for some alleviation for her throbbing core.

The blonde smirked and pulled the zip on Santana's jeans down quickly. She wasn't in the mood for teasing. She wanted to taste her girlfriend so badly. She pulled the tight jeans down Santana's smooth legs and let her step out of them. Miraculously, her heels stayed on. Brittany smiled. Fucking Santana with her heels on just added to the spice. She loved it.

Brittany gripped her girlfriend's ass and buried her face in her pussy. She could tell it caught Santana by surprise because she yelped and fisted her hand in Brittany's hair in pleasure. Brittany inhaled deeply.

"God, you smell good enough to eat," she murmured, her thumbs hooking Santana's underwear and pulling them down.

"I would really, _really_ love it if you would," Santana pleaded, stepping out of her underwear.

"With pleasure, my love," Brittany replied, diving into Santana's entrance with her tongue.

She stroked and probed, swirled around and flicked until Santana was a quivering mess. She wanted to feel Santana come against her mouth, but she also wanted to feel her body too. Her desire for the latter won out and she pulled her mouth away, causing her girlfriend to whimper in protest. Brittany wiped her mouth and stood up, gripping Santana's ass with both hands. She easily lifted her with the aid of the door and the Latina wrapped her legs around her.

"I just wanted to feel you," Brittany whispered, plunging two fingers deep into Santana. She gasped and her head hit the door behind her in pleasure.

Brittany quickly settled into a hard rhythm, pumping in and out of her girlfriend furiously. Santana's back was hitting the door with the force of Brittany's thrusts and the sounds she was making only drove the blonde to push harder. They didn't often have rough sex because they tended to get _really_ rough and found bruises and scratches the next day, but on occasion they did like to get down and dirty, like have sex in a dark broom closet in an apartment building that wasn't even theirs.

"Oh, _God_, yes, Brittany!" Santana screamed.

Brittany flicked her thumb over her girlfriend's throbbing clit and pulled her off her door so that she could drive her fingers fully into Santana's pussy. She felt the walls inside grabbing frantically at her fingers and she smiled, pulling out and thrusting in hard, slamming her back against the door.

"Again!" Santana cried out.

Brittany took her weight again and Santana held onto her for dear life as her legs started to shake violently. The blonde pressed her thumb against her clit and pumped in hard, finally giving Santana her orgasm. She pushed her back against the door to increase the pleasure, but the door burst open and she fell forward, still holding her girlfriend tightly.

They landed on the door that was now lying on the floor. Santana was still twitching from her high and Brittany was still buried deep inside her. The blonde looked up and glanced around frantically, but there wasn't anyone around.

"Babe, we broke the door," Brittany whispered to Santana, whose face was buried in her neck.

"Hmmm," was all she could manage in return.

The blonde smiled and managed to get onto her knees – not an easy feat considering that Santana refused to let her go. She shakily managed to get to her feet and backtracked into the closet.

"Baby," she said, kissing Santana's exposed cheek. "Come on, someone's gonna have heard that."

The Latina sighed. "I love you." She lifted her head and kissed Brittany's lips softly before unwrapping her legs from around her girlfriend. "Ugh, my legs are like jelly," she moaned. "Baby, that was _so_ hot. I miss our rough sex."

Brittany chuckled and grabbed her girlfriend's pants, handing them to her. She pulled her own on and grabbed her shoes. She almost forgot about Santana's underwear and found them after a little bit of searching, stuffing them into her pocket.

Santana was having a little trouble with her pants so Brittany helped her pull them on, copping a quick feel of her naked butt.

"Cheeky," Santana laughed.

"Always," Brittany replied. "You ok?"

"Uh, probably not cos I feel like I'm still coming down, but I can wing it. You?"

Brittany grinned. "I'm _always_ good."

They stepped out into the hallway and quickly made their way to Rachel and Finn's door, checking each other's appearances, although they both looked very sexed up.

"Maybe she won't notice," Santana mumbled, knocking on the door. "She _is_ Rachel Berry after all."

The door opened and they both smiled brightly.

"Hi," Rachel greeted, stepping aside. "When I got Brittany's message, Bella was about to go to bed, but then she demanded that she would wait up until you got here."

"Mommy!"

Bella raced into her mother's arms and Santana caught her, picking her up and squeezing her.

"Hey, baby girl," she said softly. "I missed you."

"Missed you," Bella mumbled, her face buried into her mother's neck. "Hi, Big B."

"Hey, Little B," Brittany said softly, smiling at Santana's daughter.

"Mommy, you smell strange."

"Thanks for watching Bella, Rachel," the blonde cut in quickly. "We got so much stuff done tonight."

"Oh, it's never a problem to spend time with Bella," Rachel replied, affectionately rubbing the little girl's back.

"I think she's pretty beat," Santana said quietly, watching her daughter's eyes droop closed.

Brittany grabbed Bella's bag from next to the couch and followed Santana to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Santana said, smiling at Rachel.

The small brunette nodded. "I'm very excited for our Glee Night on Friday. It feels like we haven't had one in ages."

"I think we skipped last month for whatever reason," Santana replied. "But we'll make up for it, I'm sure."

"Get ready to have your ass handed to you, Lopez," Rachel teased, opening the door for them.

"Is that a challenge I hear, Berry?" Santana retorted good-naturedly. "Game on."

Rachel chuckled as Santana and Brittany exited the apartment.

"Good night, Rachel," Brittany said, waving as she and her girlfriend headed to the elevator.

"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed. "What the hell happened to that door?"

Brittany looked at Santana, who was doing her best to keep a straight face.

"It was like that when we got here," the Latina said, her voice surprisingly steady. "Maybe the maintenance guy had a little too many after hours?"

Rachel shook her head in frustration. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Night, Berry!" Santana called.

"Good night, ladies!"

Brittany and Santana shared a lusty look complete with saucy grins and the blonde pushed the elevator button.

"Oh my-" Brittany suddenly said, her hand over her mouth. She looked frantically at the time on her phone.

"What?" Santana whispered in alarm.

"The cabbie's been waiting for us this whole time," Brittany whispered back, unable to stop the giggle that rose up. "We've been gone for over forty minutes."

"Ouch. That's all you, babe. You're the one that suggested the broom closet."

Brittany shrugged and grinned. "Was totally worth it."

Santana matched her grin and they stepped into the elevator together. Brittany leaned over Bella to give her girlfriend a quick kiss.

"Not allowed," Bella mumbled sleepily.

* * *

**A/N: We all knew the date was gonna end in **_**something**_** sexy :)**

**Heads up – next chapter will be all Britanella :)**

**Also, a friend of mine died today. She was 21. Live each day to its potential. Don't put off what you can do today. Tell those close to you that you love them every chance you get. Sorry for the PSA…**

**Feedback makes me happy :)**

**-H**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I know I was supposed to update **_**Role Reversal**_** next, but I couldn't stop thinking about Britanella! So here we are :)**

**For those who are interested, my original novella, **_**The Trouble With You**_**, is up on FictionPress. I'm under the same handle :)**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 32**

Santana shuddered in pleasure and felt Brittany's lips against her neck, soothing her heated skin.

"I'm definitely liking this new plan," she breathed, holding her legs locked around her girlfriend. Santana was sitting on the desk in Brittany's office, her pants and underwear on the floor. The blonde was standing in between her legs.

"Hmmm," Brittany agreed, her lips never leaving Santana's neck. "Why eat actual food when I can just eat you for lunch every day?"

Santana shuddered in pleasure again, not sure whether it was an aftershock of her orgasm or because of Brittany's delicious words. The blonde's fingers were still deeply buried inside her girlfriend and the Latina was quite happy to leave them there as they went through their post-sex cuddles.

Brittany's lips eventually found Santana's again and they kissed lazily. Santana could feel Brittany's fingers starting to move inside her again and she moaned. No one else could get her body ready so quickly. Her girlfriend had been the only one to coax multiple orgasms out of her, or even more than one orgasm a night.

_Standard procedure. When last have you two had sex only once a night, never mind a day?_

Santana mulled over that as Brittany started sliding in and out, her lips moving along her neck again.

The previous day they'd had sex seven times. _Seven_. And they could easily have gone for more. Their need for sleep had simply overwhelmed them after Brittany had come around Santana's fingers for the second time in quick succession.

Santana's hands were roaming softly over Brittany's back as she built her up slowly again. As rough as their sex the previous night had been (both Brittany and Santana were deliciously sore that morning), the slow, loving sex that they sometimes had, like this, was just as special.

"_Te amo_," Santana whispered.

"I love you," Brittany replied, looking into her girlfriend's eyes as she curled her fingers inside Santana, causing the Latina to grip her shoulders tightly in pleasure.

Their gazes locked and stayed on each other until Santana was arching and shaking into her girlfriend again. She leaned her head on Brittany's shoulder as she brought her down carefully.

"That was amazing, babe," she whispered. "But what about you?" She glanced at the clock and saw that they didn't have much time before lunch ended.

"You can make it up to me tonight," Brittany replied, kissing her cheek. "You looked like you needed to relax more than I did."

Santana sighed in agreement and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder again. It was honestly more comfortable than the softest pillow in the world.

"I think I may have a girl that's cheating on her exams," she said softly. "I need to find definitive proof first, but I went back over some of her exams in my class and the questions she'd gotten right were pretty much word for word from my memo."

"I'm sorry, San," Brittany murmured, stroking her hair. "That can't be easy to stomach."

Santana just shook her head. "I want to talk to her, but I don't even know what I'd ask or where to start. I mean, this is life-changing stuff. Her life could be ruined because of this."

"Then wait until you have evidence that proves her innocence or guilt and try not to let it get you down."

Santana was quiet, knowing that Brittany was right.

"San."

She raised her head and met her girlfriend's loving blue orbs.

"This in no way reflects on you as a teacher. This girl obviously did what she did, _if_ she even did it, for a reason and I guarantee you it's got _nothing_ to do with you."

Santana smiled. Even though she shouldn't really be surprised, Brittany still amazed her with how well she knew her. She leaned in and kissed the blonde softly, breaking apart when she heard her phone vibrating on the table. Brittany pulled her fingers out of Santana and she moaned at the loss. She wished there was some way for her to just permanently have Brittany's fingers inside her all the time.

She picked up her phone and frowned at the caller ID.

"Berry?" she greeted.

"Hi, Santana," Rachel replied, sounding rushed.

"What's up?"

"Um, I'm in a bit of a bind. My director has called an emergency rehearsal because my co-star has come down with pharyngitis and we need to get his understudy up to par."

"Ok, so you can't fetch Bella?" Santana queried.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel apologised profusely. "I tried Finn, Kurt and Blaine but they're all swamped with work and can't get away."

"Don't stress, Rach, I'll fetch her," Santana replied with a smile.

"But the thing is, she ends two hours early today because the faculty are doing some team building thing. She told me about it yesterday."

"Oh."

"I'm at a loss, Santana. I really did try-"

"Rachel, please stop worrying," Santana cut in. "I'm very grateful that you exhausted all avenues before telling me. But you guys bend over backwards when it comes to Bella, so let me take the load for a bit. Ok?"

"You're sure?"

"Of course," Santana said with a smile. "She is my responsibility, after all."

"You know that's not how we see it, Santana."

"No, I know. But seriously, Rach. Thank you for your efforts, but I'll sort something out."

"Ok," Rachel breathed, sounding relieved.

"Break a leg!" Santana sang.

"Bye."

The Latina hung up the phone and bit her lip.

"What's wrong?" Brittany asked in concern, entwining her fingers with Santana's.

"Bella's school gets out in an hour and no one can fetch her."

"I'll do it," Brittany said immediately.

Santana blinked. "Babe, we have classes till three."

"Yeah, but I can let my classes just continue their drills. Seriously, San, I totally can. I'm sure DC will let me. Please?"

Santana smiled. "You really wanna fetch her?"

Brittany nodded eagerly. "And then I can bring her back here and she can spend the afternoon with us and we can show her everything about the musical and-"

"B," Santana chuckled.

"Yeah?"

"That sounds perfect," Santana said softly, leaning into her girlfriend for a kiss. "I'm so lucky to have you."

Brittany grinned and peppered kisses all over Santana's face. "Thank you, thank you!"

The bell rang and they broke away.

"Uh, pants," Santana said quickly, jumping off the desk. "May need those."

Brittany giggled and helped her girlfriend dress quickly. She pulled her in for a lingering goodbye kiss before they both walked out of Brittany's office with big smiles on their faces.

* * *

Santana glanced at the girl that was suspected of cheating. Santana had decided to give a pop quiz to see if she could pick up anything strange. The girl, Chloe, looked totally stressed. Santana had done her research. She was a scholarship kid, but her parents could have afforded to send her to Griffin Hill without a problem. Her older sister had graduated two years previously, but no red flags had been raised about her.

Chloe was a relatively quiet girl. Santana couldn't remember her being particularly participative in class, but her work had shown that she had one hell of a brain on her. Santana knew a creative brain when she saw one.

Something was clearly going on with Chloe, though, and Santana knew that she needed to talk to her before the girl did something to seriously jeopardise her future.

There was a soft knock on her door and Santana looked up to see the smiling face of her girlfriend, but her attention was quickly directed to the small blur of red and black that raced across the classroom and launched herself into Santana's arms.

"Hi, baby," Santana whispered happily, squeezing her tightly.

"Mommy, I'm so excited!" Bella said with a big smile.

"Sshhh, _mija_," Santana hushed her. "They're writing a test."

"Oops," Bella whispered, turning to look at the class who were all looking at them with affection.

Bella was an absolute hit with the entire student body. Her friendliness and energy were completely infectious and the first time Santana had brought Bella to school because of a teacher's retreat, she'd had everyone, including DC, wrapped around her little finger._ Not that it's difficult to fall in love with mini-Santana_, the Latina thought proudly.

"Good luck," Bella said to the class, giving them a thumbs up.

There were a few chuckles and heads were lowered again as they resumed their test.

Santana picked her daughter up and walked to the door where Brittany was standing and smiling at them.

"Thanks for doing this, B," she whispered.

"It really wasn't a problem," Brittany replied in a low voice, grinning at Bella, who started making funny faces. "We came up with a new game on the way back here."

"Yeah, we pretend to be different people we know, but then we turn their faces upside down," Bella whispered, pulling another strange face.

Santana chuckled quietly. "You two are so strange."

"I'm gonna get back to the studio," Brittany said, leaning slightly closer, but keeping enough distance to still be professional. "I'll see you after?"

Santana nodded. "Bye, B."

Brittany winked at Santana, drawing a heart on her face quickly before poking Bella in the tummy and disappearing down the hall. Santana walked back to her desk and set Bella down. She didn't need to monitor her daughter's movements – she loved exploring her classroom and kept herself occupied for ages, looking through all the books. Once again, Santana marvelled at Bella's thirst for knowledge.

"Mama, am I gonna stay with you till tonight?" Bella whispered, standing next to her desk.

Santana turned to her and nodded. "I'm going to need your expertise to help with the auditions."

Bella's eyes widened in excitement and Santana couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face at her daughter's enthusiasm. The first student approached her desk with his test and Santana smiled up at Ben, who grinned shyly and handed his paper to her.

"See you in the auditorium after school?" she said softly.

Ben nodded. "My dad was so psyched when I told him," he replied in a whisper.

"Awesome."

"Hi!" Bella said, then remembered that people were still writing. She clamped a hand over her mouth in horror.

"It's ok, baby," Santana whispered. "This is Ben. You'll see him later."

"Are you in the musical?" Bella asked.

Ben nodded and Santana saw the red flush flare up on his neck.

"It's gonna be amazing cos my mommy wrote it," Bella said proudly.

Santana rolled her eyes and raised her hand in a goodbye wave to Ben as he left.

"Do I have a fan?" she teased her daughter quietly.

"You always tell me the bestest stories," Bella replied. "And Glee Club sounds like it was a lot of fun."

Santana smiled and kissed her forehead. "Go busy yourself, baby. Class will be over soon."

Bella skipped over to the corner where Santana had her own little library and started perusing through them. The Latina smiled affectionately and turned back to the students, her eyes automatically resting on Chloe. She looked completely panicked and Santana frowned. This girl used to get As in her class without even batting an eyelid. Something was definitely going on and Santana needed to find out what it was soon.

* * *

Bella skipped at Santana's side as they made their way to the auditorium. Every few seconds, she would greet someone who called her name. Santana rolled her eyes. Her daughter was more popular than her. They ducked through the courtyard and the sound of singing caused the Latina to stop. It wasn't just any singing, either. This girl was _good_.

"Hold up, Bella," she called to her daughter.

Mini-Santana skidded to a stop and followed her mother's tentative steps towards an empty classroom. The song was a beautiful one – not many people listened to Roxette. The voice was heartbreaking, the lyrics being sung with incredible emotion.

_The morning comes and you're reaching out for me __  
__just like everything's the same __  
__and I let myself believe things are gonna change. __  
__When you kiss my mouth and you hold my body close, __  
__do you wonder who's inside? __  
__Maybe there's no way we could feel each other's pain. __  
__Tell me why it gets harder to know where I stand. __  
__I guess loneliness found a new friend, here I am._

Santana felt Bella's hand slip into hers and they both peeked into the classroom. The English teacher's mouth dropped open. Lying across two desks pushed together, was Chloe Stemmet, the very same girl that she had been watching closely in her classroom two lessons before.

She was amazed at the girl's voice. It held a definite Rachel Berry quality with its underlying power. Santana hadn't heard many people who could evoke emotion in a song quite like Rachel Berry. Yet, this sixteen-year-old girl was doing the same thing and it was actually making Santana's chest hurt a little.

_You don't understand me...  
__You don't seem to get me, my baby. __  
__You don't really see that I live for your touch. __  
__You don't understand me, my dreams or the things I believe in, my love. __  
__You don't understand me. You don't understand me. Understand me._

Yup, something was definitely up with Chloe. Santana was debating whether or not to disturb her when she suddenly sat up and they locked gazes. The student's eyes went wide and she scrambled to get her stuff together.

"Chloe, wait," Santana said quickly, stepping into the classroom. "You don't have to run away."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that anyone was around," Chloe mumbled, her gaze fixated on her bag in her hands.

"Don't apologise," Santana replied, slowly walking closer to her. "I never knew you sang."

Chloe shrugged. "It's whatever. I can't really."

"Yes, you can," Bella piped up before Santana could say anything. "You sounded really good."

Chloe looked at Bella and Santana saw a small smile cross her face. Bella took that as a good sign and dropped her mother's hand to step forward. Santana could only stand back and marvel as her daughter worked her magic.

"I'm Bella," she said, holding out her hand. "That's my mommy."

Chloe smiled a real smile. "I'm Chloe," she replied, taking Bella's outstretched hand. "And I know she's your mom."

Her eyes flitted to Santana's and the Latina smiled warmly.

"Are you in the musical?" Bella asked.

Chloe fidgeted and looked down, shaking her head.

"Why not?" Bella persisted. "You sing really well so you should be."

Chloe shrugged. "I'm not that good. And I don't…I can't…"

"Chloe, you're good," Santana said softly, moving next to her daughter and leaning against the desk behind her. "I would really like it if you came to audition."

"No, no," Chloe said suddenly, her eyes wide. "No, I can't."

"May I ask why?"

"I…I…It's…I can't," Chloe stammered. "I just can't."

"Mommy says there's no such thing as can't," Bella said. "There's won't and there's try."

Santana tried not to smile proudly. Bella was the awesomest daughter ever. If she ever needed a sidekick, there wouldn't be anyone else she'd rather have. Well, Brittany would make an awesome sidekick, but she could be the damsel in distress so Santana could rescue her and get lots of kisses as rewards.

_Being around Brittany and Bella had turned your brain to mush_.

Santana shook her head and held onto her smile.

"I'm sorry," Chloe whispered, pulling her bag across her shoulder. "I just can't."

"Think about it," Santana suggested, catching her arm gently as she walked past. "You have serious talent, Chloe, and I'd hate to see you continue hiding it."

"It's not hiding when you're already invisible," Chloe said so softly that Santana almost didn't hear her.

She released Chloe when she moved to continue walking. Things were way more intense with this girl than she'd initially thought.

"Is she ok, Mommy?" Bella asked and Santana melted at the concern in her daughter's voice.

"I'm not sure, baby," she replied, looking the door that Chloe had left through. "But I'm definitely worried about her."

"She looked scared."

"That she did. Question is, what on earth is she scared of?"

* * *

Brittany was lining up her dancers on stage to start teaching them the first number of the musical. The call back auditions were happening after the dancers' first rehearsal.

"Big B!"

Brittany turned around and saw Santana entering the auditorium with her daughter in tow. Bella was pulling at Santana's hand, but the Latina was holding her back, obviously trying to tell her that Brittany had to work.

"Come on up, Little B," Brittany called, sending her girlfriend a slight wave.

Santana released her daughter, managing to grab Bella's bag off her back before returning the wave with a smile. She went to sit at the desk and Brittany let her start her work.

Bella ran up the stairs and latched onto Brittany's leg, smiling up at her.

"Can I help?"

There was a chorus of 'awww' from Brittany's dancers and she couldn't help but grin.

"I think you can show these kids how a pro does it, Little B," she said. "What do you think?"

"Selling us so short, Ms. P?" one of dancers teased.

"I'm short," Bella piped up, causing the group to laugh.

"Dynamite comes in small packages," Brittany quipped, holding out her hand for Bella to high five.

"Boom," Bella replied, slapping the proffered hand.

"Ok, guys. We're starting with the cafeteria scene. We're going to have a couple of tables set up at the back so some of you will be up on there, but most of you will take centre stage. Uh," she paused, visualising the performance as she saw it in her head. "Could I have my cheerleaders on this side and the rest of the ensemble on the right?"

Brittany waited as they moved into position then directed where each person would start.

"Little B, front and centre, if you please," she said with a smile.

Bella obliged quickly, a huge grin on her face.

"Ok, here we go! We'll run through the first thirty-two counts and go from there. Ready? One, two, three and spin."

Brittany faced the audience and went through the choreography step by step as her dancers followed suit. She caught Santana smiling down at her before returning her attention to her laptop. Brittany grinned happily. The musical was officially a go.

* * *

Santana's eyes drifted from the laptop screen in front of her and settled on her daughter holding her own in front of Brittany's dancers. She smiled proudly. Bella certainly had talent – Brittany kind of talent. Santana could dance, but her daughter clearly had more ability than she ever had. She didn't mind, though. She loved that Bella had discovered something that she was passionate about so early in life.

She also loved how Brittany happily incorporated her into her choreography like it was no problem. Santana was pretty sure that Brittany would have to alter the movements of her dancers when Bella wasn't there, but she acted like it wasn't a big deal. And she was making Bella the star, something she could clearly see her daughter loved.

The Latina let the gleeful feeling settle in her stomach and turned back to the script. She was trying to wrap it up without it seeming too cheesy. She wanted to make it realistic – something that the students could relate to. And real life wasn't always fairytale happy endings.

_Unless you're Brittany and Santana_.

Santana grinned. Yeah, she and Britt had that epic kind of love. They'd overcome some pretty difficult obstacles, but they were stronger than ever and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with the blonde dancer.

_Ok, focus now_.

Santana spent the next twenty minutes coming up with possible scenarios for their final scene. She'd have to discuss them with Brittany later.

"Ms. Lopez?"

Santana looked up and smiled. "Chloe. What can I do for you?"

Chloe opened her mouth, then closed it, looking nervous.

"Have a seat?" Santana offered.

Chloe did and looked down at her hands, fidgeting.

"Chloe, you can talk to me," Santana said softly. "I won't say anything to anybody if you ask me not to."

The teenager took a deep breath. "If I tell you my deepest secret, would you judge me?"

"Definitely not," Santana replied immediately. "It's not my place to judge people. I'll hear what you have to say and I'll tell you what I think, but any decision you make is yours alone."

Chloe nodded and Santana waited patiently as she built up her courage. This was big. This was the first time Santana had ever been approached by a student like this. How she handled things could make or break this girl. She had to be really careful about what she said.

"Ms. Lopez, could I ask you a personal question?" Chloe said quietly.

Santana frowned. She was pretty sure that this was crossing some kind of line, but she was so worried that shutting Chloe down that she took the risk.

"Sure."

"Are you…do you…are you gay?"

She said the last word so quietly that Santana wasn't sure if she'd heard it. She swallowed. The lyrics of the song she'd heard Chloe sing earlier played over in her head.

"I am," she replied.

Chloe's eyes went, evidently surprised that Santana actually answered her.

"You are?"

Santana smiled and nodded. "I don't mind talking to you, Chloe, but I hope that what we say will remain between us."

Chloe nodded fervently. "I would never say anything. You're my favourite teacher," she admitted quietly. "I…I saw you and Ms. Pierce earlier today when she dropped off your daughter."

Santana nodded slowly. This was taking a huge risk. But Chloe obviously trusted her to such a degree that she was ready to divulge her deepest, darkest secret.

"Chloe, what's this about?" she pressed as gently as she could without sounding demanding.

The young girl immediately retreated into herself again and Santana forced herself to be patient. She remembered how confused she was when she was trying to figure out how she felt about Brittany and what they were doing. She'd had Ms. Holliday to talk to, but that only been at Brittany's insistence. If she could be that someone for one of her students, then she would be as patient as she needed to be.

"Ms. Lopez, I think I might be gay," Chloe eventually whispered.

"Ok, why do you say might be, Chloe?"

"Well, I'm definitely not attracted to guys. Like I don't even look at them in any romantic sense. But girls…I could stare at girls forever. They're beautiful. And…I met…someone over Christmas break. My family went to Paris and she was the daughter of my parents' friends. I don't know how it happened, but we just…clicked."

Santana smiled and let her eyes wander to her girlfriend. "I know exactly how that feels. You can't seem to control what you think. You want to be around her all the time. Just thinking about her puts the stupidest smile on your face and you've never felt more like yourself when you're with her."

"Wow," Chloe said softly. "That's exactly how I feel."

Santana smiled. "Well, I was exactly like you once, Chloe. I tried to deny it, though. I was determined not to be gay because I thought that it would ruin my reputation. Back then, that was all that mattered to me. But losing the love of my life made me realise that it wasn't about what everyone else thought. It was about _me_ and accepting who I was. Unfortunately, I was outed as opposed to coming out myself, but in hindsight, I'm glad because it made me realise how many true friends I actually had. And at the end of the day, people accepted it because I didn't let them push me around."

Chloe was quiet as she digested everything Santana had divulged. The teacher let her eyes run over the girl as she pondered. Had she been this confused? Had she looked this lost?

"Ms. Lopez…" Chloe began.

Santana just waited, looking at her with a small smile.

"I'm afraid to tell my parents. They're very religious and they wouldn't accept this part of me."

Santana was quiet for a while. These next words were very important.

"Chloe, I know that I was lucky. My parents accepted me when I told them. But when I told my grandmother, she disowned me and we never reconciled. I'm not going to sugar coat this. I know it's daunting. But you'll never know until you try. And there are always options available to you should the worst happen."

"Like what?" Chloe mumbled.

"Well, do you have any family that you know will accept you?"

Chloe thought. "My sister might be ok with it, but she's in Boston with her boyfriend."

"Ok, anyone else?"

"Maybe my uncle. He's in Cleveland. But I don't want to move away from New York. I love this school and I don't want to give up my scholarship."

Santana paused, Was this the right time to bring up her suspicions?

"Um, Chloe, I need to ask you something," Santana ventured, figuring that she didn't really have anything to lose.

"Ok," Chloe said slowly.

"Are you doing ok in school?"

Chloe's eyes immediately went wide and she averted Santana's gaze.

"I've found something that I think we need to talk about," Santana continued. "But before I tell you, I just want you to know that if you're having any problems that I am here to help and any mistakes can be rectified."

Chloe didn't say anything, but Santana could tell by her demeanour that she was right.

"Ms. Lopez, I don't know what I was thinking. Well, yes I do know that all I could think about was my parents finding out and how they'd react." She sniffed. "It terrifies me."

Santana moved forward in her chair. "So your grades were slipping. That's understandable. Your focus wasn't on your schoolwork. But Chloe, what on earth possessed you to cheat?"

Chloe started sobbing and Santana enfolded her in her arms, letting the teenager cry.

"I d-d-d-d-don't kn-know why I did it! I don't kn-know why I th-thought there was no other way! I couldn't lose my scholarship. I c-c-can't."

Santana just rubbed Chloe's back soothingly and felt Brittany's eyes on her. She turned her head slightly and saw the concerned look from the stage. She closed her eyes and shook her head very slightly. Her girlfriend, of course, understood immediately and continued her session. Santana saw her daughter standing on the edge of the stage, her eyes curious but also holding something that Santana thought might be jealousy. Bella? Jealous? Her little girl? Surely not. Not of Chloe? Not because Santana was comforting her?

Bella spun around and took her spot centre stage, focusing on Brittany and Santana sighed. She'd have to talk to her later, but she couldn't just leave Chloe hanging. She'd confided in her. She'd chosen Santana and no one else to talk to and about something so important, Santana couldn't ignore it, no matter how much Bella might not like it.

"Chloe, you know that this is serious," Santana eventually said, releasing the girl. "I'm on your side though. I'm going to recommend that you retake the exams you cheated on and do extra credit work for both me and Miss Remington to make up for it."

Chloe blinked and rubbed her eyes. "You-you're not going to suspend me? Or expel me?"

"Well, technically I can't do that, I can only recommend it. But I don't want to. I see a lot of myself in you, Chloe. You're scared, you feel like who you are is wrong, that all your emotions are somehow forbidden. But they're not. I want to be able to help you, but I can't do it by myself. You need to help me."

Chloe nodded. "I'll come in early and do both exams tomorrow," she said immediately. "And you can watch me like a hawk. I promise, I won't ever do it again. I'm _so_ sorry, Ms. Lopez. I knew it was stupid, I _knew_."

"Hmmm, fear has a way of rationalising our stupid choices," Santana remarked. "I do have one other request from you, though."

Chloe raised her eyebrows.

"I want you to take part in the musical."

"No, please, Ms. Lopez, don't make me do that. I'll stay after school every day and do extra credit, but please don't make me do that."

"This is going to form part of your extra credit," Santana said simply. "I think you have a need to express yourself and this is the perfect format for you to do it in. Besides the fact that you're ridiculously talented, I have the perfect part in mind for you." She paused. "Come in tomorrow morning and I'll give you a copy of the script. You can read it and let me know what you think. Ok?"

Chloe sighed. "I guess I don't really have a choice."

"Not really," Santana chuckled. "Don't forget that I'm taking a huge leap for you here. I'm not trying to guilt you into anything – I really _do_ think that you'd be amazing in this musical. I want you to do this for yourself."

"I don't know…"

"Think about what we've spoken about, ok?" Santana said. "If you have any questions whatsoever, you can come to me or to Ms. Pierce and we'll help you as best we can."

Chloe's eyes widened. "But you said you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Chloe, I trust Ms. Pierce implicitly. And seeing as how you've figured out our secret, it's only fair that I let her know that you know. She also has a…different way of looking at the world. She might even be able to offer you better advice than me."

"Really?"

Santana smiled. "She gives the best advice I know. She always makes me see when I'm being a pig-headed idiot. She's not afraid to tell me when I'm being an ass. But then again, we have known each other since we were six, so…"

"Wow," Chloe said in awe. "I wish I could have what you two have."

Santana felt that this was going _way_ over that line that she'd probably already crossed.

"I'm going to talk to Ms. Pierce tonight, ok? And you can come and see both of us tomorrow sometime. That sound good?"

Chloe nodded. "Thank you so much, Ms. Lopez. I honestly can't say how relieved I am that I had the courage to come and talk to you."

"I am too," Santana replied with a smile. "An hour before the first bell tomorrow morning, ok? My classroom."

"I'll be there. Have a good night, Ms. Lopez," Chloe said, standing up and shifting her bag. "And thanks. Really. I…I never thought that I'd be able to trust anyone with my secret, but I'm glad that you came to teach here."

"Me too. Have a good night, Chloe."

Santana watched as the teenager walked out. When she disappeared through the double doors, the English teacher turned and let out a huge breath. She wasn't sure what she'd set herself up for, but she hoped to hell that it wasn't going to come around and bite her in the ass.

* * *

**A/N: Q, you know this one's for you ;)**

**So the reason I introduced Chloe was because of Santana's future wishlist (from the date). I needed to find something to fulfil one of her wishes, and this is it :) So we'll see where it goes from here.**

**Random: Was rereading #28 where Santana asks Brittany to move in and **_**Take My Breath Away**_** started playing on my laptop. I was all awwwww, totes the most perfect song for that moment :D**

**Love me feedback :)**

**-H**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Angst heavy :/ Britt to the rescue! *cue superhero music***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 33**

Santana listened carefully as a senior sang some Justin Bieber song. His voice was too nasally and it made her cringe – inwardly, of course.

"I don't like him," Brittany whispered, leaning close to her.

"Agreed," she whispered back. "What do you think, Bella?"

Her daughter sat between them and simply looked ahead, completely ignoring Santana.

"Little B?"

Bella looked up at Brittany and shrugged. "He's ok, but I don't think he should be in the musical."

Santana blinked. Bella had just blatantly ignored her. Again! She'd been acting like this for the last half hour, ever since the dance rehearsal had ended and they'd started the second bout of auditions.

Brittany saw her girlfriend's look of frustration and subtly rested a hand against her back.

Was it because of what had happened with Chloe? Her daughter had _never_ got jealous! Even when she caught her and Brittany making out, she hadn't even hinted at being jealous. Where was this coming from? Had hugging a student really bent Bella so out of shape? Was she upset that Santana had been writing as opposed to watching her? But she _had_ been watching. Bella had seen her waving.

"Thank you, uh, David," Santana said into the mic. "We'll let you know?"

Santana glanced at Brittany who was writing the name David under the Hell No column. She tried to get her daughter to look at her, but to no avail. Santana knew that Bella had inherited her stubbornness, but had she ever been this bad?

"Bella?" she tried.

Nothing.

Santana tried hard not to let the tears that were rapidly approaching overwhelm her. She would not cry. But fuck, it hurt. Bella had never outrightly ignored her like this. The Latina could feel Brittany's worried eyes on her, but if Bella was going to be stubborn about something silly then she would play the same game.

She cleared her throat quietly, suppressing the ache in her chest and called the next person. "Lindsay Thomas?"

"Hi!"

Santana blinked at the girl in stage. She had the biggest hair she'd ever seen.

"She looks like she had a balloon hidden in her hair," she heard Bella whisper to Brittany.

Santana squeezed her eyes closed and took a slow breath, but it came out incredible shaky.

"Hi, Lindsey," she said into the mic, but her voice had lost all its usual confidence. "What are you going to sing for us today?"

"_I Just Can't Wait To Be King_ from _The Lion King_," Lindsey said with a big smile.

Well, at least she was enthusiastic.

"Hit it," Santana said, faking a smile.

As Lindsey launched into her audition song, Santana tried to regain her composure. She was a professional dammit. How many more auditions did she have to endure? This was the second last one.

_Thank God._

She hadn't been in such an awkward situation since almost kissing Brittany…twice. Being at odds with Bella unsettled Santana heavily. She felt completely off kilter. And she hated not knowing what the cause was.

Lindsey finished off with a long note, slightly faltering towards the end of it.

"Great, Lindsey. Thank you very much," Santana said into the mic.

"Definitely maybe?" Brittany queried.

Santana nodded.

Bella giggled. "That's a movie, Big B."

Brittany chuckled. "Indeed it is, Little B."

"We haven't had movie night in ages. Can we have a movie night, Britt?"

Santana couldn't anymore. Her daughter, her own flesh and blood, was deliberately excluding her from one of their favourite traditions. Either Bella was coming into her mean streak a lot earlier than Santana expected or she just knew her mother so well that she knew exactly how to hurt her most. Maybe it was a combination of both.

"B, could you just-" her voice broke and she tried desperately to swallow the sob that was rising up in her throat. She kept her gaze down. "I need…"

"I got it, San," Brittany said softly.

Santana just nodded and stood up quickly, thankful that she was in the chair closest to the aisle. As she turned, the first tear escaped and she held her breath painfully until she reached the auditorium doors before bursting into tears.

* * *

Brittany watched her girlfriend walk out and she desperately wanted to go with her because she knew for a fact that Santana was probably crying at that moment. She hated it when Santana cried, and she especially hated it when she couldn't help. Normally she'd be cradling the Latina in her arms, softly humming and rubbing her back, but she couldn't just leave Bella.

The blonde glanced down at Santana's daughter. She had watched her mother get up and leave, but hadn't said or done anything.

They needed to wrap up these auditions and fast.

"Ok. Last one for today is Trevor Hammond," Brittany said into the mic.

Trevor walked in and Brittany recognised him from one of her after school classes.

"Hi, Trevor. What are you going to sing for us today?"

"Um, _It Will Rain_ by Bruno Mars," Trevor said, his voice coming across strongly.

Brittany nodded in appreciation. It was a great audition song. Trevor wasn't muscular, but she remembered him to be very graceful. If he could sing as well, he could be a very useful member of the cast.

"Take it away, Trevor," Brittany said with a smile.

_If you ever leave me baby,__  
__Leave some morphine at my door__  
__'Cause it would take a whole lot of medication__  
__To realize what we used to have,__  
__We don't have it anymore._

Brittany immediately put his name down in the Hell Yes column. She knew Santana would agree. She half listened to the rest of the song and alternated between glancing down at Bella and at Santana's empty seat. Mini-Santana was bobbing her head to the song, seemingly unperturbed. If she had the same capacity for cold, unfeeling meanness that her mother had in high school, Brittany thought her heart might break. She'd never seen her girlfriend be anything other than loving and affectionate to Bella.

Trevor finished and Brittany and Bella clapped politely.

"That was awesome, Trevor. We'll let you know," Brittany said into the mic, before flicking it off.

She turned to Bella, who was humming _It Will Rain_.

"Isabella."

Bella blinked in surprise and frowned up at Brittany. "Did you just call me Isabella?"

"I did," the blonde replied, making sure that her voice stayed strong like she'd heard Santana speak to her daughter.

"Am I in trouble?" Bella asked.

"Well, could I ask why you're being so mean to your mom? You're really hurting her feelings."

Bella just folded her arms and stared ahead. "She hurt me first."

"How did she do that, Little B?" Brittany queried. "You were dancing with me then came up here and things were fine before that."

Bella remained stonily silent.

Brittany sighed. "Bella, I don't want to come between you and your mom. You're totally my best friend, but remember that I love her and it hurts _me_ to know that she's crying right now and I can't do anything about it."

That got Bella's attention. "Why's she crying?"

"Because you're completely ignoring her and she has no idea why," Brittany explained gently. "Think about how you'd feel if your mom or I just decided to stop talking to you because we thought you'd said or done something that hurt our feelings. Wouldn't you want to know why?"

Bella was quiet, but her demeanour had changed. She didn't seem so sure of how she'd been acting. Brittany glanced at the auditorium doors. There wasn't any sign of Santana, and honestly, she didn't expect there to be for at least ten minutes.

"Little B, maybe if you tell me what you think your mom did, I could help you sort out the problem?" Brittany suggested tentatively.

Bella's eyes flashed. "I don't _think_ that she did anything. She definitely did it. I _saw_ her."

"What did she do?"

"She…she…" Bella took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and Brittany was half-surprised, but half-not surprised that Bella had exactly the same tells of an impending breakdown as Santana. "I saw her give that Chloe girl a hug. But it was my special hug. I know how she hugs and she gave that girl _my_ hug."

Brittany's eyes widened. Wow. All this over a hug? But then again, hugs had been super important to her as a kid too. They were like promises.

"Was it definitely your special hug?"

"Yes," Bella replied stubbornly, glaring at Brittany. "I'm not stupid."

Brittany let her immediate spike of anger simmer at the all-too-familiar phrase. "I never said that you were, Little B," she said softly. "Why do you think your mom would give someone else your special hug?"

"Because she loves her new children more than me," Bella said, her voice breaking and the tears cascading down her cheeks.

_Oh, shit._

Brittany picked the small girl up and pulled her onto her lap. Bella sobbed into her chest.

"Bella, how could you ever think that your mom loves you less than _anyone_?" Brittany asked in amazement. She was truly flabbergasted. "She loves you the most that I've ever seen any mom love her daughter. Like _ever_."

"But she forgot me and she's always working on the musical and she's spending more time with them," Bella said all in one breath. "We used to do everything together, but now she's always late. She loves them more. It's cos they're big and smart and can sing and dance and-" She hiccupped and ended her own sentence.

_Jesus, has she been keeping this all bundled up inside? She's more of a pro than her mother at it, if that's the case. _

"Bella, I'm gonna tell you a secret," Brittany said softly, rubbing the small girl's back gently. "But it's one of those super pinkie-swear-take-to-the-grave kinda secrets."

Bella sniffed and looked up at Brittany with dark eyes full of sadness and longing. The blonde's heart almost broke at the sight. A crying Lopez had never been a strong point of hers to begin with.

"But Mama and I aren't supposed to have secrets," she whispered.

"This is something she told me last night," Brittany replied, "and she has dreams for your future. I bet she hasn't told you how much she dreams to give you _everything_ you could ever want."

Bella just shook her head.

"Your mom's top three dreams are all about you. About you being happy in life, love and your job. As long as she can make that happen for you, she doesn't care if she lives in a shoebox."

"She said that?" Bella's voice was quiet.

Brittany nodded. "Yeah, but that isn't actually the secret I wanted to tell you."

"It isn't?"

"Nope, I just thought you needed a little reminder that you are the number one thing in your mom's life. And _nothing_ will ever change that." Brittany took a breath. "Your mom has a different kind of dream, one for herself. She wants to be able to be the kind of teacher that students can come and talk to about their problems. She doesn't want to be their friend or mom or anything, but she wants to be approachable. Do you know what that means?"

Bella nodded sadly and Brittany supposed she shouldn't really be surprised.

"I'm sure that you know how great your mom is at listening and stuff and the good advice she gives."

"Rachel and Kurt and Finn are always asking her about stuff," Bella mumbled.

"Your mom likes knowing that people trust her enough to talk to her about stuff that's bothering them. Who do you talk to if there's something bothering you?"

Bella sighed. "Mommy. Or you."

"Ok, but before me," Brittany amended.

"Mommy."

"You see, she just wants to be able to be that kind of person for the students here," Brittany tried to explain. "She's not trying to be their mom. She would never _try_ to be something that they already have. Do you…do you understand what I'm trying to say here, Little B?"

Bella shrugged. "Not really."

"Um, ok, let's try and put it this way," Brittany said, wincing internally because she pretty sure she was fucking this whole thing up. "When you're a little older, let's say…thirteen, right? You'll be in middle school. What if someone starts bullying you at school? Who would you talk to?"

"My teacher?" Bella asked.

"Exactly," Brittany replied. "Now if your teacher was a mean old lady who smoked like a chimney and smelled really bad, would you want to go and talk to her?"

Bella shook her head.

"See, now your mom wants to be the kind of teacher that you _would_ go and talk to."

"She'd be good at that," Bella mumbled.

"Totally," Brittany agreed. "And I bet that Chloe, was that her name?" Bella nodded. "I bet that Chloe really needed to talk to someone and she picked your mom cos she's good at listening and giving advice and stuff."

"But she gave her my special hug," Bella whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"You know what, Little B? I don't think it was _your_ special hug. I think that your mom probably gave Chloe a feel better hug that looked a lot like your special hug, but she can only give_ you_ that special hug. You know why?"

Bella shook her head.

"Because those hugs have all the love in the world that your mom has for you. And she would _never_ share those with anyone but you. Heck, she won't even share them with _me_ and I'm all kinds of awesome."

Brittany congratulated herself when Bella gave a small smile.

"So, what do you think, Little B? Should we go and find your mom and say sorry for ignoring her?"

Bella's eyes went wide. "But what if she gets mad at me? What if she doesn't love me anymore cos I made her cry?" The bottom lip started trembling and Brittany jumped back into crisis management mode.

"How often has your mom gotten mad at you?"

Bella sniffed and shrugged.

"I bet it's not a lot, though, right?"

The little girl nodded.

"I think she's just really sad that her little girl was ignoring her," Brittany said softly. "She'll be relieved if you just go up to her, give her a super sorry hug and tell her that you love her."

"You think?" Bella asked, a sliver of hope springing into her eyes.

"Well, remember I know your mom pretty well," Brittany said, lowering her voice into a whisper. "So I know what she's gonna do most of the time. And I think you can trust me on this one, Little B."

Bella nodded. "Ok. Let's go find her."

* * *

Santana was curled up in the corner of Brittany's dance studio with the lights off. She'd stopped crying about five minutes ago, but she still felt ridiculously drained and confused and frustrated. But most of all, she was so, so sad. She really wanted Brittany to come and comfort her, but she knew that her girlfriend wouldn't leave her daughter alone just to see if she was ok, no matter how much she might want to.

The Latina took a shaky breath and willed the pain in her chest to go away. She remembered feeling a pain similar to this and it was slowly killing her. She'd been so sure that she would never have to experience this kind of heartache when she finally accepted Brittany back into her life. And she sure as hell hadn't expected the hurt to come from her daughter.

She heard the door to the studio open and she immediately wiped her face, trying to cover up the tears tracks and puffy eyes.

The studio flooded with light and Santana blinked to adjust before she saw her daughter standing sheepishly at the entrance. Brittany was behind her and just smiled at her.

Santana leaned her head back against the mirror, feeling suddenly exhausted. She remembered that this exact feeling was why she'd always pushed Brittany away in high school. This feeling of abandonment was the worst feeling in the world.

But Bella was looking at her nervously, and glancing back to Brittany as though she was unsure about her next step. Santana just watched as her girlfriend lifted her foot and gently pushed Bella on the butt. An automatic smile crossed her face at the glare that her daughter sent Brittany, but the blonde dancer just pulled a face right back.

Santana kept her knees pulled to her chest as Bella slowly walked towards her. She swore it was the longest, most awkward walk in the history of walks.

Bella came to a stop in front of her and Santana waited patiently. She definitely wasn't planning on making the first move, but her daughter was wringing her hands – a very bad habit she'd picked up from her. Instinctively, Santana leaned forward, covering Bella's small hands with one of her own, stilling the nervous mannerism.

Their eyes met and Bella's immediately filled with tears. Santana had always comforted her daughter when she cried and her maternal instincts took over. She held out her arms and Bella fell into them, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck. Santana felt tears prick at her own eyes, but she did what she could to keep them at bay.

She looked up and saw Brittany blowing a kiss to her and pointing back to the auditorium. Santana just smiled at her gratefully and closed her eyes, fully giving herself over to the power of her daughter's hugs.

After about ten minutes, Bella's breathing had returned to normal and she straddled Santana's stomach, leaning her back against Santana's legs, which were still bent.

"Mama, I'm sorry," Bella whispered, fidgeting with the hem of Santana's blouse.

"What did I do?" Santana asked softly, trying not to let the hurt come through.

Bella sniffed and the Latina knew she was fighting another wave of tears.

"I miss you," her daughter said quietly, meeting her eyes.

"I know, baby." Santana sighed. "Why didn't you talk to me about everything when we spoke about this the night that I was late?"

"You forgot me, Mommy," Bella said, her eyes flashing with hurt. "You're supposed to love me most, but you're always busy with the musical and school and all the singers and dancers get to see you more than I do and…" Bella took a breath and set her jaw.

"Please be honest with me?" Santana whispered.

"It feels like you love them more. You don't want to spend time with me. Britt gets to see you more than me. I never had to share you before and now…" Bella furiously wiped away the tears that were running down her face.

"Bella, _mija_, I could never _ever_ love anyone as much as I love you. Not Brittany, and definitely not anyone at this school," Santana said firmly. "And I know that I've been a bad mom to you lately. I just…"

"Mama, I understand," Bella said quietly.

Santana frowned. "You do?"

"Brittany explained to me about your dream. You want to help and even though you gave Chloe a special hug, it wasn't _my_ special hug."

Santana let that roll around in her head. Bella was jealous of Chloe because she'd hugged her and it had looked like Bella's special hug? Granted, it was clearly a catalyst for the loneliness that her daughter was obviously feeling and Santana knew that she only had herself to blame. Maybe she should've let Brittany slap her.

"Bella, no one gets that hug but you," Santana said softly, running a finger across her forehead. "_Te amo, mi carino._"

"_Te amo, _mama," Bella replied in a whisper, leaning her forehead onto Santana's lips. "_Lo siento_."

"_Lo siento demasiado_," Santana said in an equally soft whisper. "Bella, I…" she paused, knowing that it was imperative that she got the wording of this right. "_Mija_, you are my number one. You always have been and you always will be. I got excited with all these new things and I admit that I let them overtake me. But I'm not going to make that same mistake again."

"Mama, I don't want you to stop doing the musical," Bella said softly.

"I don't want to either," Santana replied. "But I miss my time with you. I know that Britt's your best friend and you also like spending time with her, but maybe for the rest of this week you could come and spend afternoons with me?"

"Really?" Bella's face brightened.

"Really, really," Santana replied with a small smile. "And I promise, I _promise_, Bella, that I won't ever let you feel like you aren't the most important thing in the world to me. Never again."

"Pinkie promise, Mommy?"

Bella held out her tiny pinkie and Santana didn't hesitate in grabbing it. She held on tightly.

"I'm very glad that you have Brittany to talk to, baby, but please don't ignore me like that again. It really hurt."

Bella nodded and looked incredibly guilty. "I was mad, Mommy. Britt told me I was being silly so I came to find you cos I don't want you to be sad, same way you don't want me to be sad."

Santana nodded and pulled her daughter in for another hug. She breathed a soft sigh of relief at the lack of pain in her chest.

"Hey."

Mother and daughter both looked up to see Brittany leaning against the mirror a few feet away.

"Hey," Santana replied with a small smile.

"Everything ok here?" the blonde asked.

"Well, it will be," Santana said, looking at her daughter for confirmation.

Bella nodded. "It will be."

"Great," Brittany said with a big smile. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

* * *

Later that night, Santana and Brittany were curled up together in bed. The Latina was resting her head on her girlfriend's chest, listening to her slow and steady heartbeat. Her fingers were making idle patterns on Brittany's stomach and the blonde was running her fingers through Santana's long hair.

"Have I said thank you enough times?" Santana said quietly.

Brittany chuckled softly. "Only about seventy-three times, babe. But you don't have to, I told you. I just hated seeing you so upset. I had to do something."

"But I should've seen it," Santana berated herself. She'd been doing it all evening.

"Hey, San, come on. I've told you to stop that. What matters now is that you're very aware of Bella's feelings and you're going to make sure that she is always your number one."

"Yeah," Santana breathed in agreement.

"San, even if it means that I find something else to do for a while to give you two some mother daughter time, I'll do it."

Santana looked up to meet Brittany's gaze. "Baby, I don't want that. You're a huge part of our lives. And I hope that it's gonna stay that way for a very, very long time."

"I know that, but Bella's still your daughter. You have that bond that no one else will have with her. And she had you all to herself for six years until I came back into the picture and kinda made everything topsy turvy."

"Hey." Santana scooted up the bed and lay on top of her girlfriend, kissing her cheek. "I thank my lucky stars every single day that you're back in my life. B, I was surviving. Yeah, I was happy, I guess, but now I'm complete. I am a whole person again and that's only going to make me a better mother to Bella. And a better girlfriend to you."

She leaned down to press her lips against Brittany's softly, lingering on the feeling. Nothing could beat the sensation of kissing her girlfriend.

"I love you, Britt," she whispered, settling her head on the blonde's shoulder.

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana. "And I love you, Santana. So, _so_ much."

They stayed like that for a few moments, just feeling each other.

Brittany was trailing fingers up and down the side of Santana's naked body when she was reminded about what brought on Bella's whole tantrum.

"Baby, what did Chloe talk to you about? I mean, if you're allowed to tell me."

"Oh, yeah, about that. Um…Chloe and I had a very interesting chat and I need to give you a heads up on what we said because it kind of involves you."

"Me?" Brittany asked in alarm. "How?"

"Well it involves us," Santana amended.

"Us as teachers or us as a couple?" Brittany asked with a hint of worry in her tone.

"Both, actually," Santana replied quietly and Brittany's hands stilled. "Chloe came out to me. She asked me if I was gay and said that she'd seen how we were with each other yesterday."

"Jesus, every time I think we're being careful, it turns out we're really obvious," Brittany muttered.

"I know," Santana sighed. She kissed the top of Brittany's breast in comfort. "She's also the one that's been cheating. She's coming in tomorrow morning to make up the exams, though."

"San, are you sure that's the right avenue?" Brittany asked softly. "This is cheating we're talking about."

"Yeah, I know, but Chloe is a bright kid and her confusion about her sexuality had completely messed with her head. She's terrified of what her parents will think and she can barely focus in class."

"Well, I guess you know what that's like to an extent," Brittany murmured.

"Hmmm. Also, she has an _amazing_ voice. Like seriously good. I've asked her to audition for the role of Carrie, but I'm not sure if she'll do it."

"Isn't that a little obvious though?" Brittany enquired. "Getting a closeted lesbian to _play_ the closeted lesbian?"

Santana was quiet for a while. "B, this girl was me nine years ago. I was just as confused and terrified as she is. Maybe if I'd had someone that I could trust enough to talk to, other than you, obviously, maybe things might have been different for us. Good different, I mean. Who knows, maybe I would've come out in junior year when you and Artie broke up."

"You think that one person can make that kind of difference?" Brittany asked softly, her fingers playing with Santana's hair again.

"I think the right person can," Santana replied just as softly, lifting her head to look at her girlfriend again. "I'm not going to become Chloe's new BFF. I'm not that eager to help her get back on track. But if I can be some kind of mentor for her, someone she can talk to, ask questions about stuff, you know?"

"You signed me up for this too, didn't you?" Brittany said with a knowing smile.

"Well," Santana began slowly. "You do give awesome advice, babe. You're not afraid to kick my ass when I need it. Plus, you're popular. The kids love you."

"You too, San. You have no idea how much they respect you."

"Really?" Santana smiled.

Brittany pulled her down for a kiss. "Hmmm. And why wouldn't they? You're totally awesome."

Santana chuckled. "Don't you think you might be a little biased, B?"

"Maybe just a little," Brittany teased, rolling Santana over and kissing her neck softly.

"Well, I'm definitely biased when it comes to you," the Latina declared, locking her hands around her girlfriend's neck. "Cos you're perfect."

"We're perfect," the blonde corrected, continuing her trail of soft kisses along Santana's shoulder.

"Hmmm," Santana hummed.

She pulled Brittany back up and their lips met in a passionate kiss.

"I am so grateful for you," she whispered.

Brittany grinned wickedly. "Care to show me how much?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah…not an easy chapter to write. I know most of you like Brittany and Bella, but I love Santana and Bella's relationship so it was physically painful for me to write… *le sigh***

_**I get so emotional, baby…every time I think of you…**_

**Let me know what you think?**

**-H**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: SORRY! Been a mad partying weekend. Kinda just got home, but before I crash, I felt you just **_**had**_** to have the new chapter :)**

**Ok…so OBVIOUSLY you know Brittana is endgame (like duh ;p) and who wouldn't want to see their family expand…? Just saying ;)**

**Much appreciation for your kind words on the heaviness of the last chapter – I was really worried that I'd gone a little OOC, but you guys totally settled my nerves :)**

**On with the show…**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 34**

Santana and Brittany looked nervously at one another as they sat before DC. He looked at them in disappointment.

"I really thought I'd never have to call you two in here over something like this," he said, his voice quiet.

Santana looked down at her hands, wringing them frantically. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Why, _why_ had she been so naïve to believe that they could continually get away with it without getting caught?

* * *

"_Fuck, baby, keep going!" Brittany whispered in her ear. She moaned. "So good."_

_Santana smirked and continued pumping her fingers in and out of her girlfriend's tight hole. She loved the feeling of Brittany's walls desperately clinging to her digits._

_Brittany wrapped her legs around Santana's waist tightly as the Latina could feel her approaching her orgasm. She curled her fingers and pressed her thumb down on her girlfriend's pulsating clit and watched with an amazed smile as Brittany came undone._

_Santana didn't get a chance to bring her down properly as the door to Brittany's office suddenly opened. The Latina froze and turned around slowly._

"_Ohmygod," Chloe gasped, her mouth dropping open. "Ohmygod. I'm so sorry. Shit. Um…"_

_Santana could only hear Brittany's heavy breathing in her ear as she gripped onto the Latina's shoulders for support._

"_C-Chloe," Santana stammered._

"_Sorry!" Chloe squeaked, pulling the door closed behind her quickly._

"_Shit, shit, _shit_," Santana cursed, pulling her fingers out of Brittany, who shuddered and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder._

"_B, we have to go, like _now_," Santana hissed._

_Santana knew that it was difficult for her girlfriend to do anything immediately after an orgasm, but she really needed her to get mobile. She needed to do damage control._

"_Baby, come on," Santana urged gently, rubbing her legs._

"_K, k, I'm good," Brittany mumbled, blinking furiously. "God, I love you."_

_Santana grinned and stepped away from her, bending to grab her tights from the floor._

"_Love you, sexy. But we have a serious problem." She handed Brittany her tights. "Chloe just walked in."_

"_Are you serious?" Brittany hissed, slipping off the desk and gripping it tightly as she willed feeling back into her legs._

_"You ok? I'm gonna go after her."_

_Brittany nodded. Santana turned and flung the office door open. She skidded to a stop at the entrance to the studio. Her eyes narrowed. The scene in front of her could only spell disaster._

_Chloe's eyes darted around until they met Santana's._

"_Ms. Lopez," she said quietly. "Uh…"_

_Santana stepped into the hallway and folded her arms across her chest._

"_Why, Ms. Lopez! Chloe has just told me some very distressing news!" Kate Remington exclaimed, an evil smirk on her face._

"_Chloe, would you mind if I had a word?" Santana asked gently, realising that she'd really put the girl in one of _the_ most awkward positions any adult could put a child in._

_She nodded and followed Santana back into the studio._

"_Chloe, I am _so_ sorry," Santana said quietly. "I honestly never meant for…anyone to…you know." She looked down, her face burning._

"_Uh, it's cool," Chloe said, her voice squeaky. "I guess I never thought teachers actually did that. Like, at school."_

_Santana mentally slapped herself through the face. "Yeah, well, we're not technically supposed to," she muttered._

"_Uh, I c-came to drop the script off," Chloe stuttered, holding the thick white manuscript to Santana. "Mrs. Spencer told me to check the studio. Um, I read it and it's awesome. Uh, I'm just not sure if I can play her. It's…I dunno."_

"_Uh, why don't we discuss that later?" Santana suggested, glancing up as her girlfriend walked slowly out of the office, looking slightly dishevelled. "Chloe, I understand if you want to tell Mr. DeCosta-"_

"_No!" Chloe said quickly. "I mean, look, you guys made a mistake. And you already stuck your neck out for me today with the exams. Like, I owe you one, right?"_

_Santana shook her head. "I don't want this to be about you feeling like you have to cover for me because I'm helping you. We made a really big mistake and you caught us in it-"_

"_Yeah, and you caught _me_ in a big mistake," Chloe interrupted, her voice oddly firm. "You gave me the benefit of the doubt and I'm returning the favour. Not because I have to, but because I want to," she added before Santana could interrupt. "If you get in trouble, then who do I have?" she said quietly. "I don't want you to get suspended or have the musical get cancelled or anything. Not when I just…"_

_Santana met Brittany's terrified gaze. They'd been so wrapped up in their insatiable lust for one another that they hadn't even stopped to think about the repercussions if they were actually caught. Brittany would be devastated if the musical got cancelled, especially after she'd worked so hard to get it off the ground and get her involved. If it hadn't been for the musical, she wouldn't have her beautiful dancer back._

"_Chloe, what did you tell Ms. Remington?" Santana asked suddenly, remembering the devious look in the woman's eyes._

"_Oh…" The teenager dropped her head guiltily. "I, uh…I said that I'd just seen something I shouldn't have," she mumbled._

"_Are you sure?" Santana prodded gently. "I need to know exactly what you said."_

"_That's what I said," Chloe replied. "She was kinda hanging around, not doing anything and she saw that I looked freaked so she asked me what was wrong."_

Great. Kate now has ammo against me. Ugh. Stupid, Lopez!

"_Thanks, Chloe. Again, I'm really sorry. Um, we'll see you at rehearsal? Or do you want me to set up an appointment with Dr. Newman?"_

"_No," Chloe said, her eyes wide. "Hell no. I've been in that office way too may times. Trust me, Ms. Lopez. This is cake compared to what I've been dealing with."_

_Santana just sighed in frustration because a sixteen-year-old _student_ should never have to deal with walking in on two of her _teachers_ having sex on a desk._

"_San, we should go and deal with Kate," Brittany said softly._

_Santana nodded. "Chloe, promise me that if anything makes you uncomfortable, you'll tell me? Or Ms. Pierce?"_

_Chloe nodded and smiled. "Hey, I'd be surprised if you weren't having sex. Cos both of you are smoking."_

_Santana's mouth dropped open as Chloe walked out._

"_Uh…"_

"_Right." Brittany drew the word out. "Uh, did she-"_

"_Yup," Santana interjected. "Super inappropriate."_

"_Who? Us or her?"_

_Santana cocked her head. Good point._

"_Come on. Let's go deal with psycho bitch," she sighed, pushing the studio door open._

* * *

"Ms. Remington seems to have had a suspicion for a while that these…things have been going on," DC said, frowning.

Santana swallowed. "Whatever may or may not have happened, I can assure you that it will _never_ happen again. Mr. DeCosta, I…I know that we can't excuse what we did and how wrong it was, but-"

"Gah! Santana, I trusted you when you told me that you could keep it professional! You two are my best teachers here. The kids respond to you, but I can't let something like this just be swept under the rug."

"Then punish me," Brittany spoke up, causing Santana to look at her in alarm. "I convinced Santana to do…things in my office. And I knew it was wrong, but I was selfish. It was my fault."

"Britt," Santana whispered, her brow furrowing in worry and fear.

_Oh, God. What the hell is going to happen now? Is she going to be suspended? Fired? Am _I_ going to be suspended?_

"Ladies, I think that I need some time to think this whole mess over," DC said diplomatically, but his eyes were still very disappointed. "Come back in an hour. Both of you. I'll make sure that your classes are covered."

Santana nodded and stood up, her hand shaking as she opened the door. She walked slowly back to the studio, knowing that Brittany was right behind her.

"Jesus, Britt," she whispered, whirling around once they were inside. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Look, there's no point in both of us taking the fall for this," Brittany began.

"So why should it be you?" Santana fumed. "You do realise that you're putting yourself at serious risk with this?"

"As opposed to what?" Brittany retorted. "San, you have Bella to worry about. You can't afford to be out of a job. I could have my pick of any dance studio and I have a pretty good nest egg. I'm good."

Santana opened her mouth and closed it again. Dammit, Brittany had a point. Her parents could totally help her out if she asked, but she definitely didn't want that.

"It'll be ok," Brittany whispered, stepping forward and rubbing her hands up and down Santana's arms.

"B, I don't think that's a good idea," Santana murmured. "We're in deep shit already. The last thing DC needs is more ammo."

Brittany nodded and stepped back, but Santana could see how it pained her not to be able to comfort her. It was engrained in the blonde's nature to turn a frown upside down, especially if that frown was settled on the face of one Santana Lopez.

Her voice choked in her throat because she really wanted a comforting hug just as much as Brittany. She glanced at the door. It was closed so she quickly grabbed her girlfriend's arm and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her neck. Brittany's arms immediately went around Santana's back, squeezing her tightly.

"I love you," Santana whispered. "We'll figure this out, ok?"

"I know," Brittany breathed, burying her face in the Latina's neck. "I love you too."

"I should go," Santana said softly, reluctantly releasing her blonde.

She felt Brittany nod and unwrap her arms from around her.

"I'll see you later, ok?"

Brittany nodded and it pained Santana to see the sadness on her face. She'd said it so many times; Brittany being sad was like a crime against humanity. The day became darker when there wasn't a smile gracing that beautiful face.

"Night in tonight, ok?" Santana said. "No work, no moving, just us curled up on the couch. We'll order in. How does that sound?"

She was rewarded with a small smile and a nod. Santana gave her a small wave as she walked out of the studio. She leaned against the wall outside, running a hand through her hair.

_That bitch is so gonna get it_.

"Ms. Lopez?"

Santana halted in her furious march towards her classroom and looked at DC nervously.

_Already? What happened to 'Come back in an hour'?_

"Step in, please?"

She wiped her sweaty hands on her pants once she was seated in DC's office.

_Here we go_.

"Santana, this is the first time I've had to deal with teachers being caught having…relations. Students have been caught before, but this is a first for me."

Santana desperately wanted to jump in and apologise again and again, but her little logical conscience told her to shut it.

"I especially thought that your new position would have deterred any kind of behaviour like this."

The Latina flushed with embarrassment.

"Consider yourself and Ms. Pierce verbally warned," DC said sternly. "And if this should _ever_ happen again-"

"It won't," Santana cut in quickly.

DC nodded. "I trust you will deal with the student?"

"I already have, sir," Santana replied quietly.

"Good. That will be all, Ms. Lopez."

"Th-Thank you, sir," Santana stammered, wondering if there was some kind of punchline coming. But DC was looking down at his desk, shuffling some papers.

That was it? Two verbal warnings? They were off the hook? Santana couldn't have hoped for anything better. She closed the door behind her and walked quickly to the studio.

Brittany was stretching and Santana got momentarily distracted by the supple and graceful movement of her lithe body.

_Yeah, cos thinking with your vajayjay is a good idea right now_.

"Britt," she said.

Her girlfriend spun around, the worry back in her eyes.

"DC just called me back in," Santana said, walking up to her.

"Shit," Brittany breathed.

"A verbal warning each," Santana said with a smile.

Brittany's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"

Santana nodded. "But we know that we have to be really, _really_ good now. We can't give anyone a reason to send us back in there, ok?"

Brittany nodded fervently. "You'd better set the alarm an hour earlier then."

Santana blushed. "Um, let's just focus on getting through the rest of today," she said quietly.

Brittany grinned. "See you after school, _Ms. Lopez_."

_Oh, God. Role play sex tonight. I know that tone._

"Bye, B," Santana mumbled and a smile crossed her lips at the sound of Brittany's naughty giggle.

* * *

Brittany leaned against the tree where she normally waited for Bella and bobbed her head to a song that was playing in her head. She was mentally choreographing the new number that her dancers were going to start working on the next day. They still needed to perfect the opening number, but the blonde had no reservations about her dancers being able to pull it off.

"Brittany?"

She turned around and sighed internally.

"Hey, Sara."

Sara looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Something happen that you forgot to mention?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "No, I'm here to fetch Santana's daughter."

"She has a daughter?" Sara scoffed. "Wow, guess she really missed you."

The blonde's eyes narrowed and that familiar flame of anger started boiling in her chest when anyone was mean to her Latina.

"Don't start that shit, Sara," she said menacingly.

"So what? You two back together now?"

"Yes," Brittany replied, her anger dissipating slightly at the memories of the last few days. Had it really only been a few days?

"And what happens when she breaks your heart again?"

Brittany frowned. "That's not going to happen. Besides, Santana and I are nobody's business but our own."

"Uh huh," Sara replied, arching her eyebrows. "I'll remember that when you come knocking on my door again."

"Never again, Sara. I think you should leave."

"It's a free country. I can go wherever I wish."

"Big B!"

_Perfect timing, Little B._

"Hey!" Brittany exclaimed, kneeling slightly to catch the running girl. "Have a good day?"

"It was ok," Bella replied, leaning her head against Brittany's shoulder, a gesture that melted the blonde's heart – not that it was a difficult task to do that. The two Lopez girls always managed to turn her into a puddle of mush.

Brittany turned around to go, ignoring Sara as Bella started chatting about what she'd learned that day.

"Oh, Britt, you should know that Rick has been asking about you."

Brittany froze and slowly turned back to Sara.

"Whatever Rick has to say, my answer is no. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'd like to hear you convince him of that. When you hear who wants you, you may not be able to turn her down."

Brittany frowned. "It doesn't matter who it is, Sara. I'm not going on any more tours. I'm not leaving New York again. My life is here now."

She felt Bella's arms tighten around her neck at that.

Sara chuckled. "Sure, Britt. Keep telling yourself that."

Brittany just watched her walk around the corner before walking to the edge of the sidewalk to hail a cab.

"You're not gonna leave again, are you?" Bella asked in a small voice.

"Absolutely not," Brittany replied firmly. "I love you and your mom and I promised her that I wouldn't. So I'm not going to. Besides, I'd be crazy to leave the two most perfect girls in the whole world."

Bella grinned widely at that and rested her head on Brittany's shoulder again.

_As if I would ever give this up. Never in a million years. I'm back where I belong._

* * *

Santana laughed with her class as they discussed Daisy and Gatsby's history. She loved how they embraced a different era so eagerly. Also, she may have mentioned that a new rendition of the movie was about to be released. A healthy comparison between book and film was a useful teaching tool and if it got the students to read then all the better.

Her door flew open and everyone went suddenly quiet. Santana frowned at Kate's angry glare, an exam clutched in her hand.

Thankfully, Bella had stayed with Brittany for that afternoon because her girlfriend had her advanced group in the last class of the day and they were going to work on the opening scene. Bella, of course, had to resume her position in the group.

"Uh, keep it on the down low and break off into groups of four, discussing what you think you might wear to a party in prohibition America," Santana said with a wink as she walked to the door.

She pulled the door closed behind her and folded her arms, looking expectantly at Kate.

"You may want to conduct yourself in a less obvious manner, Kate," she said warningly, "and definitely reconsider bursting into my classroom again."

"That's rich coming from you," Kate replied snootily. "But that's not why I'm here." She held up the exam and Santana saw that it was the make up that Chloe had completed that morning. Unsurprisingly, she'd gotten an A pretty easily.

"Is there a problem?" Santana asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Of course there is! I come to you with a student suspected of cheating and you just give her a _make up_ exam?" Kate spat.

"I spoke with Chloe and the make up exam is only part of her extra credit work to get her grades back up. I'm dealing with the situation."

"So because she caught you doing the nasty she's blackmailing you into not going to DC?"

"She's not blackmailing me," Santana said, gritting her teeth. "I'd advise you to remember who the head of department is here." She didn't want to laud her seniority over the new teacher because had the roles been reversed, she'd probably be reacting in exactly the same manner. But Kate Remington obviously needed to remember that there was a time and place. "Chloe came to me and we discussed what happened to make her feel like she had no other option. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and it looks like my judgement was fair because this," she indicated the exam, "just tells me that she wasn't properly focused."

"And you gave her focus?" Kate asked with a sneer.

Santana stepped forward. "I'm not sure I appreciate what you're trying to insinuate, Kate."

"Of course not, Santana," Kate replied, her demeanour suddenly doing a one-eighty. "I would never _dream_ of intimating that you're showing clear favouritism. Or, you know, overlooking a serious offence."

"Have a good day, Kate," Santana said in a low voice. She paused with her hand on her classroom door. "The grade is final."

* * *

Santana and Brittany sat at their desk in the auditorium, waiting patiently for Chloe to start her audition. Santana was about to get up and go and find her when the clearly nervous teenager stepped onto the stage.

The Latina felt her daughter move closer to her and wrap her arms around her right arm. Santana smiled and dropped a kiss on Bella's head.

"_Te amo, mija_," she whispered.

Bella looked up at her and smiled.

"Hey, Chloe," Brittany said into the mic. "Welcome. What song are you going to sing?"

"Um, _Northern Star_," Chloe said, her unsure voice barely carrying to the teachers.

Santana nodded. It was a perfect song choice for the teenager's voice and she was excited for Brittany to hear Chloe sing.

"Take it away," Santana said into the mic, smiling in encouragement.

Chloe nodded and pressed play.

_They tried to catch a falling star.  
Thinking that she had gone too far.  
She did but kept it hidden well.  
Until she cracked and then she fell._

_If all the history is true._  
_She's gonna end up just like you._  
_You made it to the other side._  
_But tell me who will be my guide._

_They build you up so they can tear you down.  
Trust the ocean you'll never drown.  
Who is next? Who's gonna steal your crown?  
You'll see._

_I have learnt my lesson well._  
_The truth is out there I can tell._  
_Don't look back and don't give in to their lies and goodbyes._  
_Northern Star._

Santana glanced at Brittany who automatically met her gaze and smiled, nodding in confirmation. The Latina grinned and wrote Chloe's name in the Hell Yes column. The next task would be to get her to play Carrie.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies that this chapter's a little shorter…I felt I needed to end it here because of a really long scene that's going to take place after this…**

**Let me know what you think? :)**

**Again, **_**muchos**_** apologies for lack of updates. You can definitely expect new **_**Role Reversal**_** up tomorrow.**

**Also, if you haven't, I wrote a random Brittana two-shot last week…was feeling a little down and that's what came out :/**

**Till next time!**

**-H**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: So life has been crazy this week, which is why I haven't updated, unfortunately. As much as being a full-time writer is, bills need to be paid :/ I do plan to spend the next two days writing furiously to make up for it. So expect some more updates for this fic, as well as **_**Role Reversal**_**.**

**As always, the number of reviews astound me and I'm so thankful that there are so many readers that love this story as much as I do :)**

**Must just mention that my housemate made the password for our wireless connection Britanella :D I gave him big hugs :)**

**Welcome to all the new readers! Great to have you join the family :)**

**On and up :)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 35**

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

Santana paused in her washing up duties and glanced at her daughter, who was sitting on the counter next to the sink.

Bella had a small frown on her face, one very akin to Brittany and it made Santana smile. She let her daughter piece together how she wanted to say whatever it was that she wanted to and busied herself with the few dishes they'd used for their takeout.

"Mama, why do you need to help that girl?"

Santana glanced at Bella.

"Because she needs me to, Bella," she replied quietly. "She doesn't really have anyone else to talk to."

"But…why her? And why you?"

Santana stopped cleaning the wine glasses she and Brittany had been sipping wine from earlier that evening and dried her hands on the dishcloth next to her daughter. She picked her up and walked to the living room.

Once they were comfortable on the couch, Santana spoke, "Are you getting jealous again, baby? Cos I thought we kinda cleared that all up yesterday?"

Bella shrugged. "I know you love me, Mommy. But doesn't she have her own mommy to talk to?"

"She does, but she's scared to talk to her."

"Why?"

Santana took a breath. She was coming up to those crossroads again where there were big neon signs alerting her to the possibility that this might be a little beyond her daughter's understanding.

"Because she doesn't think her mom will like a part of her," the Latina eventually said.

"Which part?"

Brittany came out of the bathroom at that point, towelling her hair dry. She saw Santana sitting with Bella and felt the slight tension in the room. She raised an eyebrow to her girlfriend, who simply held a subtle hand up to say that she had things under control.

At least she hoped she did. She didn't want to scare her daughter, but she didn't want to make her feel isolated again either.

That age old question popped into her head: How much is too much?

Brittany cocked her head in acknowledgement and continued into the bedroom.

"Bella," Santana began slowly, "you know that I try and tell you as much as I can, right?"

Her daughter nodded.

"Do you remember when you asked me about Brittany and I said that there were some things that I thought you might not necessarily understand?"

Bella nodded again.

"I'm worried that this is another one of those things. Um, Chloe is dealing with a pretty big development in her life and she came to me because I went through the exact same thing when I was in high school."

"So she thought you could help her?" Bella asked.

Santana nodded.

"Mommy, if it happened to you, why can't you tell me? Is it a secret?"

"No, baby," Santana said quickly, smiling. "You know I don't keep secrets from you."

"You are now." The reply was almost whispered, but Santana caught it.

"Ok," Santana said, realising that this conversation needed to happen, whether Bella understood all the intricacies or not. She needed to soothe her daughter's mind and if this was the only way to do it, then she would. She couldn't go through another ordeal like she had the previous day.

She settled back into the big couch and opened her arms. Bella didn't need to be asked twice and crawled into her mother's lap, facing her with nervous eyes.

"Chloe's gay," Santana said softly.

Bella frowned. "She likes girls?"

Santana nodded.

"That's not bad, though," Bella said. "Why is she scared of that?"

Santana smiled. "She's scared that her parents won't like her anymore if she tells them."

"That's silly. They should love her no matter what."

"I agree, baby," Santana said, squeezing her accepting daughter tightly. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that think that being gay is wrong."

"Really?" Bella's eyes were wide.

Santana nodded. "Luckily, when I was in high school, I had Kurt and Rachel and Brittany and they were always very accepting. But there were also a lot of people who weren't. Kurt was bullied really badly by people who thought he was weird or a freak-"

"Those are bad words," Bella interrupted softly.

"Baby, not everyone out there is nice. It's unfortunate, but people believe what they want because it's easier than accepting someone or something that's different. Does that make sense?"

"Not really."

Santana took a deep breath. "Ok, um…I hope Kurt forgives me using him as an example, but there was a boy that we went to school with…Dave." Santana winced at the name, remembering her own twisted history with the confused boy. "He used to bully Kurt really badly, up to the point where Kurt ended up going to a different school for a while."

Bella's mouth fell open.

"As it turned out, Dave was gay himself and was just so scared of all these strange feelings that he was having so he lashed out." Santana swallowed the lump of guilt in her own throat. "And so did I."

"Mommy?" Bella squeaked, her eyes disbelieving. "You were mean to Kurt?"

"I was mean to everyone, baby,' Santana said softly, dropping here eyes in shame. "I…I wasn't a very nice person in high school."

"You were nice to me."

Santana looked up and saw Brittany leaning against their bedroom doorframe, playing with the hem of her sweatshirt. She met Santana's eyes nervously and the Latina could tell she wasn't sure if she should have interrupted.

Santana smiled and inclined her head to invite her girlfriend to sit with them. The blonde walked hesitantly towards the couch. Her hair was still damp from her shower, but she smelt vanilla fresh and it made Santana's gut do that delicious pull thing. Brittany sat down next to her, pulling her legs up and snuggling close.

"You were always nice to me," she mumbled again, resting her head on Santana's shoulder.

The Latina turned her head and pressed a kiss to Brittany's forehead. "That's because I love you. But I didn't exactly make things easy for us."

"Why?" Bella asked, looking from Brittany to her mother in confusion.

Santana sighed. She hated talking about her low points. "I was scared about loving Brittany. I was scared of how she made me feel. So I hid her. I kept our relationship a secret from everyone and it ended up really hurting us, almost driving us apart."

Santana looked sadly at her girlfriend at this, but Brittany simply took her hand and laced their fingers together.

"Even after we fixed things, I still wanted us to be secret," the Latina continued, squeezing her girlfriend's hand. "I was _so_ scared of what everyone would think if they found out that I was gay."

"But why, Mommy? You were popular."

Santana smiled. "Yeah, I know. That's what I was afraid of. I was scared of losing everything."

"But you still had Britt."

Santana had to shake her head and smile. Trust her daughter to figure out what had taken her two years in two minutes.

"I know I did. And so many times I took that for granted." Santana looked down at Brittany's blonde hair and nudged her shoulder slightly to get her girlfriend to look up at her.

Those eyes…

Santana felt her breath hitch. Even though they were talking about the second worst time of their history together, Brittany's eyes showed nothing but absolute love.

_God, how did I get so lucky?_

_I love you_, Brittany mouthed.

Santana smiled brightly and leaned down for a quick kiss.

"_Te adoro_," she whispered back. She turned to her daughter and smiled. "Ok, that conversation kind of took a detour, but the point I'm trying to make is that not everyone is ok with someone being gay."

"Like your abuela," Brittany murmured.

"Abuela?" Bella frowned. "But she loves you."

"No, not _your_ abuela, baby. My abuela. My mom's mom."

"You were named after her," Brittany said, smiling at Bella.

Santana smiled, loving that her girlfriend remembered those daily questions they asked each other. She remembered all the ones she'd asked Brittany too. They should start those up again…especially if that distant plan of hers was going to work…

"She didn't like you?" Bella asked.

Santana shook her head sadly. "She couldn't accept that I loved Brittany. To her, it was wrong."

Bella frowned.

"Baby, that's what I'm trying to make you understand," Santana said. "There are a lot of people out there who think that a woman loving a woman is wrong or that a man loving a man is wrong. It's getting better as time goes on, especially since gay marriage is legal in a few states, but…" Santana trailed off, searching for the right words.

"It's like we believe in pixies," Brittany stepped in quietly. "But Tim in your class says that it's stupid to believe in pixies cos they don't exist. But we know they do. He doesn't believe it so he rejects it. Does that make sense?"

Bella nodded slowly and Santana smiled. She should've guessed that Brittany would be the perfect person to get her daughter to understand.

"So Chloe's parents will think it's wrong?" Bella asked.

"She seems to think so," Santana replied. "That's why she came to talk to me. She saw me looking at Brittany and kinda figured that we were together, so she just wanted my opinion."

Bella nodded. "Ok," she said. "I understand."

"Really?" Santana raised her eyebrows hopefully.

Bella nodded. "And even though you and Brittany are gay, you're still the best moms ever."

Santana felt her girlfriend tense up next to her. She smiled to herself.

"B, do you have some more boxes you need to bring down?" she asked casually.

Brittany lifted her head and frowned in confusion. Santana gave her a loving smile, wiping away any worry that had been etched into the blonde's forehead.

"Yup, I think my stereo would work better in here than that piece of crap you have," Brittany teased, kissing Santana's cheek before standing up.

"Britt!" Bella scolded.

"Ah!" Brittany said, smacking her forehead. "Sorry, Little B. I'll give you a dollar when I come back downstairs, ok?"

Bella eyed her and Santana smiled at the similarity to her infamous glare. Brittany grinned and blew them a kiss before grabbing her keys and slipping out the door.

"Why'd you tell her to go?" Bella asked immediately, pouting.

Santana smiled. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" she teased, nuzzling her daughter's cheek.

"Nope. I'm the smartest first grader at school."

"I have no doubt, baby girl. But the reason I asked Britt to go is because I wanted to talk to you about what you said."

Bella frowned. "Am I not allowed to call Britt my mom? Does it make you sad? I won't do it if it does." Her eyes were wide with worry.

"No, not at all, _mija_. I love that you think of Brittany like that. I think you may have caught her off guard with it, but I have no problem with it at all." She paused. "Do you remember what Rachel told you about having two dads?"

Bella nodded. "She says that she felt just as loved as anyone who has a mommy and a daddy."

Santana nodded slowly. "Can you keep a secret, baby girl?" she whispered, looking around the empty room conspiratorially.

Bella nodded excitedly.

"Ok, but this is a super mom-daughter secret, so you can't tell Britt yet, ok?"

Bella nodded again, bouncing on her mother's lap.

"I do want Britt to be your mom, like officially and everything," Santana said. "But I think we should wait a bit. We'll see how things go with all of us living together for a while. Does that sound ok?"

Bella nodded. "You mean she'll be my mom like you're my mommy?"

Santana nodded. "In every way you want. I know she wants to. She told me."

"She told me too," Bella beamed.

"I'm glad she loves you like I do," Santana said softly. "Because you, my little superstar, can never be loved too much."

"But you still love me the most, hey, mama?"

"Always," Santana whispered, running her finger along Bella's forehead.

"Mama?"

"Hmmm?"

"You remember you said something about marriage before?"

"Yeah, gay marriage is now legal," Santana repeated.

"What's legal?"

"It means people are allowed to do it," Santana said, deciding against her usual method of Bella's new word intake. She was comfortable and didn't want her daughter to go anywhere.

"So," Bella drew out the word and Santana smiled. She knew what was coming.

"I'm working on it," she whispered, leaning close.

Bella's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really?" she squeaked with a big smile.

"Really really. But that's also a super mom-daughter secret."

Her daughter nodded fervently. "I promise I won't say anything." She clapped her hands. "But I'm super excited."

"Me too, baby," Santana grinned. "You have _no_ idea."

* * *

Brittany flopped onto the bed, exhausted.

"Uh, I think I need another shower after all that," she groaned.

She felt the mattress sink next to her and turned her head to meet the lips of her amazingly gorgeous girlfriend.

"I could join you," Santana murmured against Brittany's mouth. "Think I may need some good luck."

Brittany giggled. Their code word with Bella had been a lifesaver – well, for them. She'd accepted that her mother and best friend needed some time to wind down from the day and she happily occupied herself in her room. They generally waited until Bella was asleep before they did anything, though. Santana was still petrified of scarring her daughter for life. And to be honest, Brittany wasn't too fond of Little B walking in on them. She'd seen her parents in a compromising position once and she'd never forgotten it. It was just something that kids should never have to witness their parents doing.

Parents.

The reminder of Bella's comment earlier that evening brought a smile to Brittany's face and Santana pulled back in amusement.

"I wasn't aware that my kisses were so funny," she teased.

"I was just thinking about Bella calling us her moms," Brittany said with a big grin. The thought set butterflies flying around her tummy. She would love nothing more than to have Santana trust her enough to give her such an important title. Well, there would be one thing she loved more, but she was pretty sure that was going to happen. No matter when, no matter how, it was going to happen.

Santana smiled back down at her and tucked loose blonde strands behind her ear.

"You know that I want that, right?" she asked softly.

Brittany nodded. "I do. And I know that you want to wait. Which is fine. I want to have the chance to prove to you that I can be the kind of person you need me to be for her."

"I don't doubt that for a second, babe. Really, I don't. I just think we need to properly adjust to being around each other in a domestic setting before we take any more big steps."

"What, like moving in together?" Brittany teased.

Santana smiled and leaned in again, catching her girlfriend's bottom lip between her teeth.

"I'm glad we decided to move most of your stuff tonight," she said softly, not moving her face away from Brittany's. "Tomorrow's going to be crazy busy anyway."

"Hmmm," Brittany agreed, using her tongue to grab hold of Santana's top lip and pull her back in for a kiss.

Santana ended up flush against her, pressing their bodies tightly together. The stress of day washed through them as they just lost themselves in each other.

"I love you," Brittany breathed, breaking away for air. "You're my everything, San. I never thought I could be so happy again."

Santana smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek gently. "I love you, Brittany Susan Pierce. And I'm going to love you forever."

That made Brittany smile widely and arch her neck up to capture Santana's lips again.

* * *

Santana jerked her head up at the alarm and squinted.

_What the fuck? So damn early. Screw this._

She shut the offensive noise off and threw her arm back over Brittany's naked back. She pressed soft kisses to the smooth skin of her girlfriend's shoulder as she felt sleep take her under again.

"Saaaan."

Her eyes flew open and she raised her head, looking at Brittany curiously. She was still fast asleep. Santana smiled. She wondered what kind of dream her girlfriend was having to make her say her name like _that_.

"Hmmm," Brittany murmured.

Santana giggled silently and started tracing soft patterns on Brittany's back with her fingers.

"Goood."

Brittany wiggled a little and the arm closest to Santana suddenly grabbed her and pulled her close abruptly. The Latina blinked in surprise. This wasn't normal. Sure, they liked rough sex every now and then (visions of Monday night flashed through Santana's head and she had to tighten her legs), but Brittany was still asleep.

She suddenly found herself on her back and Brittany was on top of her, attacking her neck. Santana couldn't help but close her eyes in pleasure at the sensation of Brittany's tongue running all over her skin, nipping and sucking every now and then. She rocked her hips up as her core started throbbing.

God, how could a _sleeping_ Brittany turn her on like this?

Wait, she was sleeping. No, this was wrong.

_Oooooooooh._

Ok, maybe this once.

Santana grabbed her girlfriend's face and crashed their mouths together. She couldn't actually tell whether Brittany was asleep anymore or not, but the kisses were hot and frantic, which suited Santana just fine.

She ran her tongue across Brittany's lips and they parted for her. She wasted no time in dancing with her tongue as her hands roamed all over the blonde's back and palming her firm ass.

Brittany ground her hips into Santana's hard, causing the Latina to break their furious lip lock and gasp in pleasure.

"Fuck," she whispered.

It had been a while since her girlfriend had taken such complete charge of her and she had to admit that it was sexy as hell.

"Mine."

The sudden possessive growl in Santana's ear made her shudder and she rocked her hips up into Brittany again, desperate for some relief. The blonde responded by suddenly disappearing under the covers. Santana could barely catch her breath before she felt her legs pushed wide open and Brittany's warm, forceful tongue on her aching pussy.

She tried to stifle her moan and had to shove her fist into her mouth, her eyes rolling back as her back arched in pleasure. Brittany was relentless. Her tongue felt like it was everywhere all the time. Santana's head was starting to spin and she started shaking. She'd never been built up this quickly, _especially_ first thing in the morning, but she definitely wasn't complaining. Her breaths came short and fast as she reached that epic moment of bliss. When Brittany drove her tongue deep inside her and curled it up, Santana broke. She went stiff and a loud moan caught in her throat as she closed her eyes in pure ecstasy.

But Brittany wasn't done. Santana had barely recovered from the first amazing orgasm when she felt her girlfriend's tongue re-enter her and move around gloriously. The Latina dropped her head back on the pillow and arched into Brittany's mouth, desperate for the second release that had already built up so quickly. The blonde knew exactly which buttons to push, though, and Santana was crashing over the edge again in what felt like a few seconds. Amazingly, Brittany seemed to have oxygen tanks for lungs because she didn't pull out; she kept pumping her tongue in and out until Santana was shaking for the third time.

"Holy Jesus," she breathed, surprised that she even had oxygen left to do that.

She felt Brittany kiss her way back up her body and she reached for her girlfriend's face, pulling her up to meet her waiting mouth. She moaned at the overwhelming taste of herself, mixed with pure Brittany. They kissed passionately as Santana got some of her strength back, then she flipped the blonde onto her back and started attacking her chest. That was when she felt something strange.

She stopped kissing and looked up. Brittany was breathing evenly, fast asleep.

_No fucking way_.

How was that even possible? Did such a thing as sleep sex even exist? Santana pushed herself up and studied Brittany's beautiful face. After years of watching her sleep, she knew that her girlfriend was deep in the realms of lala land.

The Latina struggled to process what had just happened. There was no way that she was getting any more sleep _now_. Not after being satisfyingly ravaged by her gorgeous and sexy girlfriend. Santana groaned to herself and gently kissed her sleeping beauty on the cheek before getting up to go and shower.

* * *

Brittany rolled over as she started waking up, but felt empty sheets next to her. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. The sheets were still quite warm and a little rumpled. Actually, quite rumpled. Santana didn't move a lot when they slept so she guessed they must have been a little more physical in their nighttime escapades before bed than she'd thought.

She smiled and yawned again. As she swallowed, her eyes went wide. She had a _very_ strong taste of Santana in her mouth. Like way stronger than any other morning she'd woken up after having gone down on her girlfriend. In fact…this tasted more like she'd gone down on Santana very recently. She frowned and rolled her tongue around in her mouth. Something was strange. Not that she minded waking up with her favourite taste in the world so strong on her tongue. She heard the shower turn off and lay back on her pillow, watching the door. She smiled when it opened and Santana walked in, wearing a towel around her, her wet hair loose.

"Oh," she said, seeing that Brittany was awake.

"Morning," Brittany said with a grin. "I had the most amazing dream about you."

"Dream?" Santana asked her with an arched eyebrow as she walked to her closet.

"Hmmm. You were sleeping and I decided to wake you up," Brittany replied, smiling at the hazy memory. It had been very hot. She was looking forward to some early morning sweet lady kisses before they needed to get ready.

"Oh, really?"

Santana had her back to Brittany, but the blonde could hear her smirk. Brittany smiled and slipped out from under the covers, careful not to make a sound. She tiptoed over the short distance to where Santana was rummaging through her blouses and snaked her arms around her girlfriend's small waist. She didn't mind that her boobs were getting wet from Santana's dark locks.

"I woke up with your taste in my mouth," she murmured into the Latina's ear, darting her tongue out to lick it.

She definitely didn't expect Santana to snort. Brittany leaned back in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Santana apologised quickly, turning around in Brittany's arms. "It's just…after what I woke up to…" she trailed off and frowned.

"What's up?" Brittany asked in worry.

"I was starting to think that I'd dreamed it, but then you and the taste and your tongue…" she shuddered and Brittany's eyebrows went up.

"San, I think you need to tell me what you think is going on because I'm seriously confused."

Santana looked up at her with those hypnotising dark eyes and Brittany couldn't help but smile.

"I think you…we…" she began, frowning.

"Maybe if you say it really fast?" Brittany suggested.

Santana took a breath. "I woke up and you were still sleeping and then the next thing I know, I'm on my back and you're between my legs and _oh my God_ it was so hot," Santana blabbered out, her tan cheeks turning a faint shade of red. She mumbled something that Brittany didn't catch.

"Sorry, babe? I didn't hear that last bit."

"You made me come three times in like three minutes," Santana repeated, a little louder, but her gaze dropped.

Brittany's mouth fell open. That would definitely explain the overwhelming taste of Santana in her mouth.

"I dreamt that," she whispered.

"It definitely wasn't a dream," Santana said firmly, raising her eyes to meet her girlfriend's. "Trust me on that. It was hot as hell and _Jesus_, B. You always have amazing stamina, but this time…it was like you didn't need to breathe."

"So even when I'm asleep, I'm still the best you ever had?" Brittany asked with a cocky smirk.

Santana smiled and her face flushed – Brittany could feel the heat. "You've always been the best I've ever had, babe. You know that."

Brittany grinned and pulled Santana in for a kiss. She slowly turned them towards the bed and walked the Latina backwards.

"B, what-" Santana asked as Brittany pushed her back onto the bed gently.

"It seems a shame that I don't remember giving you these amazing orgasms," Brittany replied matter-of factly, pulling her girlfriend's towel away, leaving her gloriously naked. "I think a repeat performance is in order so that I have some memories to last me through the day."

"Oh," Santana breathed as Brittany leaned in to kiss her passionately.

* * *

**A/N: Booyah. Yeah, sleep sex…not even sure if it is a thing. If not, I claim copyright! Hehehe :)**

**Ok, FYI for those who were interested, my original novella is up on FictionPress and is COMPLETE.**

**Glee Night coming up!**

**I was gonna say something else, but then I forgot :/**

**Drop me a line if you feel so inclined– I always reply! :)**

**-H**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys :) You guys really seemed to enjoy the sleep sex...can't say I didn't ;p**

**Glee Night! :)**

**I know I said I'd update yesterday, but I'm ashamed to say that I got **_**hopelessly**_** distracted by an AMAZING fic – **_**The Girl Next Door**_** by TequilaQuest. Seriously give this story a read. It is heartbreakingly beautiful…those are pretty much the only two words I can think of to describe it…**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 36**

There was a soft knock on Santana's classroom door as she was gathering her things together to head off to rehearsal.

"Come in," she called.

She glanced up as Chloe poked her head in.

"Hey, Chloe," she greeted.

"Hi, um, could I talk to you?" the teenager asked.

"Sure," Santana replied, sitting back in her chair and putting her bag on the floor.

"Um, I saw you posted the cast list for the musical," Chloe began.

"Hmmm," Santana agreed slowly.

"Well, I thought I told you that I really wasn't comfortable playing Carrie. I mean, her character…"

"Why wouldn't you be comfortable?" Santana asked curiously. "You asked me to help you, Chloe, and I really believe that this could be good for you."

"That's just it, Ms. Lopez," Chloe said, scuffing the floor with her shoe. "This girl…this character…it's like she's me. It's…I don't know if I can handle it. It feels really close to home."

Santana paused. "Carrie is me, Chloe. Her character is pretty much exactly who I was in high school. You already know that I was just as confused as you, but I wasn't brave enough to say it for what it is, like you are. You are _so_ much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Most girls stay hidden, afraid of their feelings, but you figured out that you couldn't lie to yourself anymore, and at such a young age. I admire you so much for that. Often I wonder what my life would've been like if I'd accepted who I was earlier."

Chloe was blushing and Santana smiled.

"How about we make a deal?" the Latina suggested, linking her fingers together. "Give Carrie a chance. Shall we say…a week? And if you still feel too out of your comfort zone, we'll make a plan."

"This whole musical is out of my comfort zone," Chloe muttered. "My parents don't even know that I can sing. When I told them I was in a musical, my mom laughed and my dad kind of just pretended like I hadn't said anything."

Santana winced internally. She had been very lucky that her parents had always supported anything she'd done.

"I'm sorry that things are difficult for you," she said softly. "Glee was my way of expressing who I truly was. I guess you could say that I found myself through music. If it worked for me, maybe it'll work for you."

Santana watched her student as she pondered that. She looked tired, but more relaxed than she'd seen Chloe in a long time. Had she really been so blinded by everything going on with Brittany that one of her students had almost ruined their school career on _her_ watch?

She shook her head to herself. This week had been a very big wake up call for her. She realised how immature, reckless and selfish she'd been. And it ended now. At school, she and Brittany was _just_ work colleagues. She could kick herself for coming so close to jeopardising everything she'd worked for.

And Bella.

Santana had seriously fucked up with that. She'd risked the future of her daughter for a few secret trysts with her girlfriend.

"Ms. Lopez?"

Santana's eyes snapped open and she smiled apologetically at Chloe.

"My thoughts got away with me again. So, do we have a deal?"

Chloe nodded. "But what we spoke about…it's still-"

"Don't worry, your secret is absolutely safe with Ms. Pierce and myself. We would never put you in such a position."

"Thanks, Ms. Lopez," Chloe said with a grateful smile. "Um, are you headed to the auditorium now?"

"Yup, just packing up some work to take home," Santana replied.

"Teacher's job is never done, huh?" Chloe remarked.

"Tell me about it," Santana chuckled. She snapped her bag closed, grabbed her purse and headed out, Chloe behind her.

They chatted about the musical and the songs that Chloe was going to be singing. Santana could hear the opening number playing in the auditorium and she smiled. Everything was coming together. Today, the cast was meeting for the first time and they were going to do a read through of the script. Santana knew they couldn't get carried away with rehearsal as she, Brittany and Bella needed to get home and prepare for Glee night.

She was nervous. She didn't know why – she knew that Rachel, Finn and Kurt would be happy for her. She was happy, possibly the happiest she'd ever been in her life. And most of it was because of Brittany. Yes, she'd hurt her, but that had been years ago. She'd grown up and so had her girlfriend. They were stronger people now. They knew what their future was going to be. And it was together.

Santana and Chloe walked into the auditorium and the Latina smiled brightly at the stage. Brittany, her amazingly beautiful and talented Brittany, was leading her group of dancers in the opening sequence. She was flawless and Santana loved that mixed look and happiness and concentration on her face and she moved effortlessly across the stage. She spotted Bella standing to one side, her eyes firmly on Brittany, her feet slightly moving in rhythm with the dancer's.

Santana's eyes automatically went back to her girlfriend. It was very difficult for her not to stare at Brittany when she was dancing. Her eyes roamed over her body as she slid in front of her dancers and they mimicked her actions. They ended on a final pose perfectly in time with the last note of the song.

There was loud applause from the first few rows of the auditorium and Santana saw that most of the cast was sitting there.

Her eyes met Brittany's bright blue ones and she had a huge smile on her face. Santana sent her a subtle wink as she descended the stairs.

"Mama!" Bella squealed, running down the stage steps.

Santana's smile widened and she bent down to pick up her daughter.

"Ugh, you're all sweaty!" she teased.

Bella giggled. "I've been working really hard, Mommy. Britt says I'm gonna go to Julie and."

"Julie and who?" Santana asked in confusion. She rolled her daughter's words around in her head. "Julliard!"

"Yeah," Bella said with a smile.

"That's awesome, baby. You can totally do that if that's what you want."

"I love dancing. It's my favourite thing." She beamed.

"I thought I was your favourite thing?" Santana teased, slowly descending the stairs.

"You're my favourite _person_, Mommy," Bella clarified.

"Oh, ok. Well, then I guess we need to do whatever we can to make sure you get all the practice you want, hey, baby girl?"

Bella's smile was big and bright and Santana felt like nothing could ever go wrong again if her daughter just continued to sport that gorgeous smile.

"My two favourite girls," Brittany said, meeting them on the stairs with a smile. She glanced back at the students a few feet away and lowered her voice, "Sorry, force of habit."

Santana smiled. "All good, B. Bella tells me you have big plans for her."

Brittany grinned widely and Santana blinked in surprise, thinking the exact same thing that had run through her head a few second ago about Bella.

God, if it weren't a definite impossibility, she would _swear_ up, down and sideways that she and Brittany had created Bella. She really was the perfect mesh of the both of them.

And Santana actually preferred that.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Brittany asked curiously.

Santana smiled mysteriously, dropping her gaze slightly. "Just thinking about the future."

Brittany matched her smile and they shared a quick shy look.

"Mama," Bella whispered.

"Yeah?" Santana replied in a bit of a daze.

Bella looked at her strangely and the Latina remembered where she was.

_Dammit._

She'd done it again. She'd let herself become completely enamoured with her girlfriend at school. _Again_. And she'd _just_ berated herself for doing that exact thing!

"Crap," she muttered to herself.

Brittany looked at her quizzingly, but Santana just handed Bella to her girlfriend and made her way to the stage.

"Good afternoon," she said clearly to the cast seated before her.

They immediately ceased any talking and all attention was on the English teacher. She smiled to herself. She'd missed being up on a stage.

"Welcome to the first official rehearsal of _Glee_. Ms. Pierce has copies of the script for all of you. Today is just basically going to be a read through with the entire cast. Songs and performances will be worked on starting from next week. Right now, I just want you guys to get a feel for the story."

The students nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"One more thing, guys. Ms. Pierce and I have put a lot of time and effort into this because we _really_ believe in it. Now, I'm not asking you to be all or nothing, but I do expect you to be committed. Rehearsals, costumes, practising on your own time – this isn't just a walk in the park. It's going to be hard work. We're going to have three rehearsals a week and we've got two months to get this show polished. I know you guys all have midterms and finals to worry about as well so the harder you work, the less stress for yourselves and for us."

The cast nodded again.

"Awesome. Let's get this show rolling."

The students all moved to the stage and Brittany handed out the scripts. Santana glanced at the faces of the cast and tried to get a read on their reactions. Most had smiles, a few had frowns, but generally the response seemed positive.

"Ok, glee circle," Santana called, sitting down. The students followed suit and soon, there was a big circle on the stage. "As I'm sure most of you are aware by now, Ms. Pierce and I were part of our high school glee club and we used to do this from time to time. If you guys have anything that you want to share with the group about the musical or even if it has nothing to do with the musical, that's what the glee circle is all about.

"But for now, we'll go around and introduce ourselves and mention our characters. B, after you?" Santana said with a smile.

Brittany was sitting next to her. "Oh! Hi! I'm Brittany Pierce, but I think you still have to call me Ms. Pierce, but you can totally shorten that to like Ms. P or something. Um, I'm the choreographer." She smiled.

Bella appeared on the stage with her own copy of the script and plopped herself in her mother's lap.

"Well, I'm Santana Lopez, I'm the director and writer, and _this_ adorable munchkin is Bella."

"She's my mommy," Bella said proudly.

Santana chuckled. "I'm pretty sure the entire school knows that by now, baby."

Bella shrugged and Santana just smiled, turning to the student on her right.

"Uh, hi. I'm Ben. I'm playing Zach." His voice held a touch of nerves, but Santana smiled encouragingly.

"I'm Chloe and I'll be playing Carrie."

"I'm Hilary and I'm playing the role of Julie."

It took about five minutes for the twenty-strong cast to introduce themselves. The atmosphere was definitely more relaxed though and Santana congratulated herself on the ice breaker.

"Alrighty, let's kick things off. I'll narrate. Just try and say the lines. Don't worry about intonation and timing and all those things now. This is just a way for us to get to know the characters."

The cast nodded and Santana flipped open the first page.

* * *

Brittany grinned as she heard Santana singing loudly in the shower. They'd been home for about twenty minutes, but her girlfriend wanted to get dinner moving before their guests arrived in just under an hour.

Bella was dancing in the living room to some dance show on TV and the blonde was searching to remove any remaining boxes that they'd been too tired to unpack the previous night, but they'd been pretty good about not leaving anything to the last minute.

"Big B, come and dance with me!" Bella called over the music.

Brittany glanced at Bella and saw her pulling that undeniable pout. She rolled her eyes and smiled, kicking her shoes off and sliding straight into a jagged routine with her little protégé.

She'd brought her stereo down the previous night and Bella had been dying to test it out. They danced without abandon to the loud music and Brittany marvelled once again at mini-Santana's serious talent.

She was in the middle of showing Bella how to Dougie when she felt a familiar pair of eyes on her. Not pausing in her dancing, she saw Santana leaning against the bathroom door, clad in her teasingly small towel. She was giving the blonde an adoring smile and Brittany loved it when she looked at her like that. It made her toes curl with happiness.

She quickly ran to her and picked her up, her arms linking underneath her small, sexy ass to hold her up. Santana squealed as Brittany twirled her around, but her laughter was absolute music to the dancer's ears.

"I love you, my beautiful Santana," she said.

Even though the music was loud and she'd spoken quite softly, Santana looked down at her and she knew her girlfriend had heard her.

She traced a finger softly across Brittany's forehead and leaned down.

"I love you too, Brittany. So very much," she whispered before joining their lips in a sweet kiss.

"You're _cheating_!" Bella whined.

Brittany turned to look down at Santana's daughter who was looking at them with her hands on her hips. Her girlfriend, however, took the opportunity to attack her bare neck. Brittany giggled at the feeling of Santana's tongue and her strands of wet hair on her skin.

"Mommy!" Bella whined again.

"Ssssh," Santana said, waving her daughter away. "I'm busy."

Brittany laughed again and Bella grinned, reaching for Santana's bare foot. Her mother squeaked and wrapped her feet around Brittany's waist in an attempt to keep them away from her daughter's fingers.

And so began a crazy game of kiss-catch, tickle monster and hide-and-seek. Half an hour later, Santana was still clad in her towel and her hair was almost dry. She was crawling around the couch and Brittany, who was leaning against the front door, gestured to Bella to get onto the couch and surprise attack her. Bella nodded and carefully stepped onto the soft cushions before vaulting over the top and landing on her mother.

"Ooooof!" Santana said, groaning as her daughter flattened her. "Ugh, Bella. No more chocolates for you."

"I got you!" Bella chorused. "So I win."

"Of course you do," Santana said with a grin, rolling onto her back so that her daughter was lying on her chest. "What's your prize?"

"You and Britt have to sing a duet."

"Now?" Brittany asked in confusion.

"No, silly. Later."

Santana glanced at her girlfriend, who smiled and nodded.

"Deal," the Latina said, using her fingers to tickle Bella's sides.

Brittany grinned at her two girls laughing and kidding around with each other. They were too precious. She felt her heart swell with love. She had to send Jerry a big bouquet of flowers or chocolates or whiskey or something to thank him for the best idea in the world.

There was a soft knock at the door and if Brittany hadn't been standing right next to it, she probably wouldn't have heard it because the music was still pretty loud and Santana and Bella's laughs and squeals were bouncing off the walls.

She opened the door a jar and saw Rachel and Finn standing there, big smiles on their face.

"Oh, hi!" she said brightly, opening the door further. "We didn't hear the buzzer."

"That's fine, someone was coming out..." Rachel started, her smile faltering slightly when she saw Santana and Bella rolling around on the floor, the former clad only in a short towel.

"We…uh…lost track of time?" Brittany said with a sheepish grin.

"That's fine," Rachel said, her genuine smile returning. "We're early anyway."

"Rachel! Finn!" Bella squealed, realising that two of her favourite people had arrived.

She disentangled herself from her mother and raced past Brittany to hug Rachel's waist and then Finn's leg – she couldn't reach any higher than that.

"Hey, guys," Santana said apologetically, adjusting her towel.

Brittany grinned at her dishevelled look. It was a pity that she didn't look like that because of something Brittany had done, but then again, seeing her so carefree with her daughter was equally as rewarding for the blonde. Santana caught her look and blushed slightly.

She gestured to the bedroom and quickly walked inside.

"Come in!" Bella shouted, grabbing Rachel and Finn's hands and pulling them into the living room.

Brittany quickly grabbed the remote from the coffee table that had been pushed to the corner and turned the music down.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" she offered when she could hear herself speak at a normal volume.

"Got any beers?" Finn asked, following the blonde to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I think we keep some hidden at the back," Brittany muttered to herself, peering at the refrigerator.

"Did you just say we?" Rachel asked.

Brittany froze and stood up too quickly, hitting her elbow against the door.

"Ow!" she yelped.

"B? What happened? Are you ok?" Santana asked in concern, running out of the bedroom in jeans and her bra.

"Fine," Brittany mumbled, rubbing her sore elbow.

"Mommy, kiss it better!" Bella urged, standing next to her and looking up earnestly.

"Um…" Santana looked from her daughter to her girlfriend and flicked between Rachel and Finn too.

"It's cool, Little B," Brittany stepped in. "See? No problem. The pain's totally gone."

She shook out her arm and turned back to the fridge, keeping her face close to the cool temperatures because _damn,_ her girlfriend had looked smoking hot in her sexy black push up bra and tight jeans. She found the beers and pulled two out, tossing one to Finn who fumbled a bit before getting a good grip on it. He grinned at Brittany, who snapped her beer open and downed it.

"Whoa, easy, tiger," Rachel teased. "Thirsty much?"

"Hmmm," Brittany replied, crunching the empty can in her fist.

She felt a little better now, a little more at ease. She and Santana hadn't even discussed how they were going to tell everyone about them. What if they-

"Brittany?" Santana called from the bedroom.

She knew that tone. It was her _come hither_ tone. Surely she couldn't be thinking about some quick sexy times _now_ when Rachel and Finn were here?

"Uh, I'll be right back," she mumbled.

"Big B, you're not allowed any good luck now," Bella said seriously.

Brittany could feel her cheeks burning. "Uh, no worries, Little B. Definitely no good luck."

She walked into the bedroom and fell onto the bed face down, not even looking at her girlfriend. She felt the mattress dip and a warm hand on her neck.

"You ok, baby?" Santana asked very softly, but Brittany could still hear her.

She sighed and rolled over, meeting those gorgeous eyes she loved. "I don't like pretending," she whispered, throwing an arm over Santana's legs and resting her head on her thighs.

She closed her eyes as her girlfriend started running a hand through her hair. She knew how much she loved that and how it relaxed her.

"I suck at keeping secrets," she mumbled into Santana's jeans.

She felt Santana chuckle softly. "B, you don't suck at keeping secrets, but I know you don't like it, which is why we're gonna tell them as soon as Kurt and Blaine get here."

Brittany turned her head so that she was looking up into Santana's eyes again. "I miss you," she sighed.

Santana smiled softly and leaned down, and Brittany knew that Santana knew she didn't just mean not being able to kiss her or hold her all day.

"I missed you too, but no more hiding, ok? I want to show you off and I want to be able to link my fingers with yours whenever I want."

"Like _no_ more hiding?" Brittany asked, sitting up quickly.

Santana looked at her seriously and nodded. "I hate that I have to guard how I look at you when I want to shout from the rooftops that I'm in love with the most amazing and beautiful girl in the whole world. I'm happy. I'm in love and I don't care who knows it. We'll talk to DC on Monday about it, ok?"

Brittany grinned widely. It was everything she'd dreamed of. She didn't have to worry about slipping up, even though she was pretty sure she'd done that enough times to ensure that their secret relationship probably wasn't that secret. But it wasn't her fault when Santana always looked so delicious and beautiful that she kind of just stared at her. And that happened a lot because Santana _always_ looked super hot. She could wear a black garbage bag and she would still be the most beautiful girl in the world.

"I love you," Brittany said quickly, not even waiting for Santana to reply before pressing her lips on her girlfriend's.

Santana smiled into the kiss and massaged her lips against Brittany's. Her hand went to the back of the blonde's neck where she softly grazed the exposed skin, causing Brittany to shiver. She loved the little touches. Sometimes, they were more intimate than when she had those fingers buried deep inside her. Brittany still struggled to come to terms with how lucky she was. She vowed that she would spend every second of every day showing Santana how much she loved her and never, not for one moment, let their happiness go to waste.

* * *

"What's good luck?" Rachel asked curiously when Brittany disappeared into Santana's bedroom.

Bella grinned. "When Mommy and Britt need some relaxing time, they say they need some good luck. Then I go and play in my room and they go and sleep. Well, I think that's what they do. Their door is closed most of the time." She shrugged and walked into the lounge.

Rachel's brow had started furrowing from the moment Bella had started talking. Relaxing time? _Their_ door?

"Hey, Rach," Finn whispered. "I think that Santana and Brittany are back together."

Rachel's eyes went wide, not from surprise, but because she hadn't said it first. That would certainly explain how blasé both Brittany and Santana had been about the fact that their Latina friend had only been clad in a skimpy towel when they'd arrived. And Santana running out when she'd heard Brittany's yelp, wearing only a bra and jeans. And how Bella had told her to kiss Brittany's elbow better.

"You're right!" Rachel breathed.

"I am?" Finn asked, smiling in surprise. "Really? Sweet."

"Bella," Rachel said sweetly, going to sit next to Santana's daughter on the couch. "I have a question for you."

Bella looked at her warily. "Am I allowed to answer it?"

"Of course!" Rachel said, smiling. "Are your mom and Brittany…are they together again?"

Bella grinned. "Ha! You tried to catch me! I'm not allowed to answer that question. My mommy and I have a super mommy-daughter secret."

Rachel blinked. Damn. There was a knock on the door and Bella jumped up to answer it, leaving the diva frowning. Should she take that as a yes?

"Missa Bella!" Kurt said in greeting when Bella opened the door.

"Hi, Kurt!" Bella squealed happily. "Hi, Blaine. Come in!"

"Kurt," Rachel said warmly.

"Hi, Rach," he replied, squeezing her shoulder.

After so long together, their group didn't need big hugs. Small gestures were enough to convey their happiness at seeing each other.

"It's so weird that I haven't seen you all week!" Kurt said, picking Bella up and sitting down on the couch with her in his lap.

"I spent the _whole_ week with Mommy and Brittany at their school. We were practising for the musical and Britt let me dance with her and it was so much fun!" Bella babbled quickly. "And it's been the best week ever."

"Hey, guys," Santana said, exiting her bedroom with Brittany close behind.

"Mommy!" Bella said, squirming off Kurt's lap and running to her.

Santana knelt down and picked her up. Bella whispered furiously in her ear. The Latina raised an eyebrow in Rachel's direction and smirked.

"High five, baby girl," she said, holding her hand up for her daughter. Bella met it eagerly. "And Rachel, I'll put you out of your misery shortly. Unbunch your star-spangled panties."

Rachel flushed and lowered her gaze.

"Do I want to know?" Kurt murmured to her softly.

"I'm sure we'll find out," Rachel hissed back, still a little mortified that Bella told on her.

Once everyone had their drinks, Santana stood in front of them and glanced at Brittany, who was sitting on the coffee table.

"Ok, so there's something that you guys should know," Santana said, making eye contact with her guests. "Some of you may have figured it out already, but I'm making it official." She took a breath. "Brittany and I are back together. You can think what you will, but I haven't been this happy in years and I'm not trading it for anything."

Santana held out her hand for Brittany to take and the blonde hesitantly stood up and linked their fingers. Rachel could tell she was nervous because her eyes were firmly on the ground. Well, after how she'd hurt Santana, she had every right to think that they were going to judge her, but Santana was right – she was happy. Rachel hadn't seen that spark in her eyes for eight years.

"That's the news?" Kurt said with a smile. "Oh, honey. Did you really think we didn't know?"

Santana smirked. "Of course I did. But just so there's no more speculation, we are together and…" she paused, glancing at her girlfriend, "we're living together."

"What?" Rachel and Kurt exploded together.

"Hoo boy," Brittany whispered.

"Look, I know it's fast," Santana said quickly. "But we love each other. What's the point in waiting? We wasted eight years apart. I don't want to waste any more time with her." She turned and looked into Brittany's eyes as she said the last sentence and Rachel's heart melted a little.

It always did when she saw this side of Santana. They way she looked at Brittany was something out of a fairytale. Rachel loved Finn with all her heart, but Brittany and Santana…they were on a whole different level. Whenever they looked at each other, everyone else disappeared and they were in their own world. They spoke without words and their gazes penetrated to their souls.

Yes, it was weird that Rachel could deduce that from a simple look, but anyone who saw _that_ look would immediately agree. And they were giving each other that look now.

"Do you think they remember we're still here?" Finn stage whispered.

Bella sighed from her position between Kurt and Rachel. "They do that a lot."

Kurt chuckled and clapped his hands. The noise snapped Santana and Brittany out of their trance and the blonde flushed again.

"So we're all good?" Santana asked.

"Wait, so we're not hiding, right?" Brittany asked.

Santana turned to her and smiled. She nodded.

"Awesome, that means I can do this," Brittany replied, gripping the back of Santana's neck and kissing her passionately.

"Oh, geez," Rachel muttered. "And we're back to the completely indecent public displays of emotion."

"They do that a lot too," Bella frowned.

Kurt chuckled again. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Ahem," Blaine said loudly.

"Hmmm," Santana said absentmindedly, pulling away the blonde slightly, their eyes still locked.

"If I remember correctly, we are gathered to do a little bit of singing," Blaine said with a smile.

"Yes!" Brittany said, releasing Santana and clapping. "San and I are going first, as per Little B's request."

"I won," Bella said proudly.

"Right," Kurt said, creasing his brow in confusion.

"You know we'd best get used to this again," Rachel said in resignation. "The comments that make no sense, the kisses, the spontaneous bursts of energy, the kisses, the bone-crushing hugs, the kisses, the yelling-"

"There won't be any of that," Santana cut in with a smile as she set up the karaoke machine.

"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts," Rachel teased. "You two love too hard not to be completely passionate about everything."

Santana and Brittany looked at each other and shrugged. Rachel grinned. She had them on that.

"Ready, B?" Santana asked once she'd loaded the song they were going to sing.

"Yup," Brittany replied, grabbing the other mic and linking their fingers.

"Bella, this is the song that I used to tell Brittany how I felt about her," Santana explained quickly as the opening notes to the song began.

Rachel smiled. How far they had all come since that eventful week in junior year.

_I took my love and I took it down__  
__Climbed a mountain then I turned around__  
__And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills__  
__Well the landslide brought me down._

* * *

**A/N: If you don't know the song, you shouldn't be reading this fic ;p**

**Didn't feel the need to elaborate on the rest of the song or the rest of their night. I've been rummaging around in my toolbox and I happened to find a spanner that I plan to throw in the next chapter, just to stir things up.**

**Yay for Britanella fluffiness :) I really enjoy writing them, but I especially love the San/Bella moments :D**

**-H **


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: So I couldn't stay away. I really did try, but I miss writing this and **_**Role Reversal**_** too much. And I've missed **_**you guys**_** too much. Like an insane amount :) Every time I'd sit down to work on my manuscript, I could feel ideas for my Brittana fics stirring in the back of my mind and my concentration was perpetually divided.**

**So I'm splitting my time – during the week, I'll focus on my manuscript and the weekends will be reserved for these fics :) This means, unfortunately, that I won't be updating as regularly as I used to, but it's better than a hiatus, right? :)**

**A review that I received a few days ago really cemented my decision to make time for both fanfiction and my manuscript, so thank you, Deanieboy :)**

**Because I love y'all a stupidly ridiculous amount, we shall kick things off with a glorious overload of Britanella fluff :D And to show you how much I've missed you, here's an extra long chapter :)**

**And now, onward and up! :D**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 37**

Santana stretched widely as her body awoke. She couldn't help but smile as her movement caused Brittany's arms to tighten around her and pull her closer. Santana took a moment to allow her girlfriend to snuggle into her, breathing in the heavenly scent that only Brittany could ever possess.

It had been a month since they'd gotten back together, and Santana didn't think that it could have been any more perfect. They were stronger than ever and living with Brittany had been so natural. She'd slipped straight into all of Santana and Bella's routines without a problem and Bella _loved_ having Brittany around all the time. Santana had lost count of how many times she'd simply watched her two girls dance or tell each other stories or braid each other's hair or discuss the underlying meanings in Disney movies.

Life actually could not be more perfect for Santana at that particular point.

That particular Friday was a very special Friday. A certain little Latina was celebrating her seventh birthday and Santana had a huge surprise for her. Not even Brittany knew about it, but she was pretty sure that her girlfriend would be just as excited.

Santana lifted her head slightly and blinked her eyes open. It had just gone six, but she needed to get up and start preparing for Bella's super special day. Her birthday was all about her – she got her favourite breakfast and a present in bed (being Bella, one present was never enough, but Santana loved spoiling her daughter). She and Santana would then rummage through her closet to pick her outfit for the day and Bella would pick the music for the morning (ok, so that one wasn't restricted to her birthday) and they would sing loudly as they got ready for the day.

The Latina lifted a hand from its resting place on her girlfriend's hip and softly brushed strands out of her sleeping face. She smiled and settled back on her pillow to look at her beautiful Brittany. Even though they'd known each other for so long and she'd been in love with her for most of that time, she could never get over how stunning she was. It astounded her everyday that she got to wake up to this _goddess_ every morning. It certainly made all the heartache she'd gone through worth it. The sense of peace she felt when she did things like this outweighed anything bad that they'd dealt with before.

"It's creepy when you stare like that," Brittany mumbled, her eyes still closed.

Santana grinned and snuggled closer to her girlfriend's warm body.

"Can you blame me?" she replied in a whisper, nuzzling her cheek. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world because I get to wake up to the most beautiful woman in the world every morning."

Santana didn't need to pull away or open her eyes to know that Brittany was blushing.

"Besides," she added, "I'm allowed to stare at you."

"Oh, yeah?" Brittany replied, slowly opening her eyes and smiling at Santana.

"Yeah. I laid claim to that gorgeous face years ago. I'm the only one allowed to stare so unabashedly."

"So my body's fair game?" Brittany teased.

Santana pulled her girlfriend's naked body flush with her own. "Hell no," she growled softly. "You're all mine." She leaned in to kiss the blonde's exposed shoulder. "Every single millimetre of your body is all mine."

Brittany shivered and Santana smiled against her skin.

"Think you could live with me owning you?" she murmured.

"Yes," Brittany breathed. "It's all I've ever wanted."

Santana pulled her lips away and settled her head back on the pillow so that she could look into the blue eyes that had so captivated her heart.

"This month has been the best that I think I have ever had," Santana said softly. "I know you know how much I love you, but I don't think you realise how thankful I am that we're here, in this moment, right now. That we're happy, in love, living together, working together, and living our dream. And this time, it is _our_ dream. It's not just mine or just yours. We're so much stronger than we were even a month ago and infinitely stronger than we were eight years ago and I am _so_ grateful to you and to the powers that be or whatever that you came back to me."

Brittany took a deep breath and Santana lifted a finger to wipe away the tear that had run down her girlfriend's cheek.

"Once again, you prove to me that even though I think there's no possible way for me to love you more than I already do, you go and say something like that and make my heart want to burst with happiness. Santana, you are my world. I was put on this planet to love you and spend my life with you. I believe that now more than ever. I'm going to grow old with you and I'm going to love every single second of it."

Santana smiled brightly and leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss that led to several soft, sweet kisses. After a few minutes, she broke away gently.

"I love our cocoon, but I need to get up and get things started," Santana said softly.

They'd renamed their bedroom 'the cocoon' because it was their safe haven, a place for just the two of them. They spoke about things that were bothering them, they cried if they needed to, but most importantly, they spent hours making love far away from the outside world.

Brittany's eyes immediately sparkled. "Can I help?" she asked timidly.

"Of course, my love," Santana replied with a smile. "Did you really think I'd leave you out of the biggest celebration of the year?"

Brittany rolled onto her back and pulled Santana with her, hugging her tightly.

"That's another thing that makes me love you more and more every day," she whispered.

"What's that, babe?" Santana asked softly, tracing her fingers along Brittany's shoulder as she rested her head in the crook of the blonde's neck.

"You let me into every aspect of your life, no questions asked. I would've been so happy if I'd just gotten you, but now I have Bella too and it's like my birthday and Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled into one and I feel like the happiest person in the world."

Santana grinned and kissed her girlfriend's neck.

"I doubt Bella would let me keep you all to myself anyway," she teased. "That girl loves you _almost_ as much as I do."

"I love you," Brittany said, rolling them back onto their sides.

"I love you too."

They shared a few more kisses before Santana's guilty conscience started nagging at her and she pulled away. She rolled out of bed and sent Brittany a look after getting a catcall.

"You'll need to get that sexy ass out of bed of you want to help me with breakfast."

Within seconds, Brittany had bounded out from under the covers and was rummaging around for something to wear.

"Babe, half your clothes are on the floor," Santana chuckled as she pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top.

"I'm looking for something," Brittany muttered.

Santana bit her lip at the allure of her girlfriend's bare ass sticking out of her closet, but closed her eyes and waited patiently. A naked Brittany was almost impossible to resist at the best of times so when part of her sexy body was on offer like that, it made the temptation even more difficult to resist.

"Aha!" Brittany said triumphantly, pulling out a onesie.

"Uh, B, what the _hell_ is that?" Santana asked, trying not to laugh.

"Bella and I got matching ones last week," Brittany said with a smile. "They're awesome, right?"

She pulled it on and Santana bit her lip to stop from giggling. It was so ridiculous, but so cute and adorable and _so _Brittany. And, by extension, so Bella.

"She wore hers last night so that she could wake up in it today. It wouldn't be fair if I wasn't wearing mine too."

"You are too fucking adorable for your own good," Santana said lovingly, pulling her girlfriend to her for a lingering kiss. "I love it."

"We should get started on breakfast," Brittany mumbled between kisses.

"Hmmm," Santana hummed in response, slowly backing away towards the door, Brittany's lips following her.

They made it into the kitchen still fused together until Brittany broke away to pepper soft kisses down the exposed skin on Santana's neck.

"Ugh, God. Baby, we have to…breakfast!" she squealed the last word as Brittany bit down.

"But you are my breakfast," she pouted, pulling away. "I eat you every morning."

Santana's mouth dropped open and she tightened her legs.

"B, Jesus. You can't say shit like that today. Today's about Bella and I can't be thinking about that ridiculously talented tongue of yours doing the most amazing things to my body. Not. Fair," she reiterated. "You have to behave yourself today."

Brittany pouted, but Santana knew her well enough to see the teasing glint in her eye. Their game had only grown since coming out to the faculty. DC had been in full support of their decision to be open about their relationship. It hadn't taken long for the students to cotton on either, especially the kids in the musical. Santana and Brittany were never openly affectionate, and they'd really dialled down on the looks and subtle touches, especially since being caught by Chloe.

But they exuded a definite energy when they were around each other, which was pretty much all the time and anyone in the same room as them could tell that there was something between them.

Unsurprisingly, the cast of the musical were ecstatic that two of their favourite teachers were together and it also meant that Bella's little public comments about their home life made a little more sense to everyone.

"You're lucky that we have other focuses right now, Ms. Lopez," Brittany husked, purposefully pressing her body into her girlfriend's. "I guess I can go _one_ morning without breakfast. But I may get peckish around lunch time."

Santana squeezed her eyes closed and her legs tighter together.

"Fuck," she breathed.

"Later, my love," Brittany purred. "We have a birthday breakfast to make."

_That woman is going to be the death of me. At least it'll be the most pleasure-induced death ever._

"I love you," Santana said with a smile, opening her eyes.

"I know," Brittany replied with a wink, turning the stove on.

* * *

Santana slowly pushed Bella's door open and glanced behind her at Brittany carefully carrying the birthday girl's breakfast. They tiptoed in and knelt on either side of her bed.

"Happy birthday to you," Santana started to sing softly and Brittany joined in on the second line.

Bella stirred and blinked her dark eyes open, a huge smile appearing on her face.

"Good morning, birthday girl," Santana whispered, matching her daughter's smile.

"Thanks, Mommy," Bella said, yawning widely.

"We brought you breakfast, Little B," Brittany said softly.

Bella grinned and sat up in bed eagerly. Brittany carefully laid the tray across her lap and Bella clapped in excitement. Seven pancakes in the shape of ducks (Brittany's idea) and a strawberry cupcake with a candle (tradition) with a glass of purple cooldrink. Santana would normally never allow such a large intake of sugar so early in the morning, but on Bella's birthday, she bent completely to her daughter's will.

"This is super awesome!" Bella squealed. "Mommy, do you want a bite?"

"I'd love one, baby girl," Santana replied, smiling. She caught Brittany's eye and winked.

Bella used her fingers (duh - knives and forks were a forbidden birthday breakfast utensil) to break a piece of pancake off and held it out to her mother. Santana made an exaggerated move to bite her daughter's hand off, but just nibbled softly on her fingers before taking the piece of pancake. Bella giggled and it set Santana's heart alight. Seeing her daughter so happy brightened her day every single time she heard a laugh or giggle.

"Your turn, Big B," Bella said, holding out a piece for the blonde.

Brittany politely took the pancake from Bella and tossed it into her mouth,

"Hey! I'm pretty sure her piece was bigger than mine," Santana playfully teased, adding a pout for emphasis.

"No, it wasn't," Bella replied, smiling. "And you ate half my hand as well, so you got more than enough."

"Hmmm, you make a valid case, Miss Lopez," Santana conceded, grinning at her daughter's sharp mind. "Would you like to see your present?"

"_Yes_!" Bella yelled happily, causing both Brittany and Santana to lean back because of the sheer volume.

Santana chuckled. "I'll be right back."

She jogged into her room and pulled two envelopes out of her school bag. It was the only place she could hide Bella's present (and Brittany's, by extension) where her girlfriend wouldn't find it.

"Ok," Santana announced, walking back into Bella's room with the envelopes behind her back.

"Will I like it?" Bella whispered to Brittany.

"I have no idea, Little B," Brittany whispered back. "Your mom has been a total ninja about your present."

"Because I knew Bella would be able to get it out of you," Santana teased, kneeling next to her daughter's bed again. She took Bella's hand and her daughter focused her attention on her again. "Baby, this has been a very…interesting few weeks for us. We've had a lot of changes in our lives, good ones," she sent a sidelong glance to Brittany, who smiled warmly, "and sometimes things were a little difficult too." She saw Bella's eyes get sad so she sped things up. "My gift to you is a chance for us to be a little like we used to. Just for a bit."

Bella looked at her mother in confusion so Santana handed the first envelope to her daughter, checking that it was the right one. She watched with anticipation as Bella frowned at it, before carefully opening the flap. Santana was surprised – normally her daughter ripped her presents open eagerly. It was odd seeing her so apprehensive.

Her smile got wider when Bella pulled the tickets out of the envelope and her eyes got bigger. Brittany anticipated her next move and quickly grabbed the tray seconds before Bella jumped out of bed, landing on top of her mother, shouting happily. Santana fell backwards from the force and returned the tight embrace.

"Mommy, this is the best present ever! I knew you heard me wishing for this on that shooting star last week! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Santana laughed heartily, holding her daughter to her.

"I'm so glad you like them, baby girl."

"Britt! Did you see?" Bella shouted, wriggling away from her mother and jumping on her bed in excitement. Santana had to concede that her daughter looked adorable in her onesie. "Mommy's taking me to Disneyworld!"

"Little B, that is the _coolest_ birthday gift ever!" Brittany agreed enthusiastically, looking down at the tickets.

Santana saw the frown on her face and she quickly slid around Bella's bed to kneel next to her. Bella continued jumping on her bed in excitement, chattering a million miles an hour about all the rides she was going to go on and all the Disney characters she was going to meet.

"This is great, San," Brittany said quietly, looking at the two tickets in front of her. "You guys are gonna have a great time." Her voice held an edge of sadness, though.

Santana smiled. "Happy one month re-anniversary, baby," she said quietly, sliding the second envelope in front of her girlfriend.

Brittany's eyes went big and she looked at Santana in disbelief.

"You didn't really think we were going without you, did you?" she teased, leaning in and kissing her cheek gently. "You're a part of our family, B. You're stuck with us, I'm afraid."

Brittany threw her arms around her girlfriend and for the second time in quick succession, Santana found herself on her back.

"I'd be happily stuck with you anywhere, babe," Brittany whispered, digging her face in the crook of Santana's neck as she squeezed her tightly.

"Like I'd let you go anywhere," Santana chuckled in response.

She felt an additional weight as Bella landed on Brittany's back.

"We're going to Disneyworld! We're going to Disneyworld!" she chanted. "All of us! This is going to be the best birthday ever!"

Brittany rolled over and Santana automatically held her daughter steady until her girlfriend was lying on her back next to her. She rested Bella across the both of them, anchoring her with a steady arm.

"Thank you, Mommy," Bella said sincerely. "I love you."

"_Te amo, mi carina_," Santana replied with a smile.

"Britt, it's so awesome that you're coming with cos now I have both moms with me!" Bella said excitedly, forgetting her filter. She realised it immediately after and gave her mother a worried look, but Santana just smiled and winked at her. She smiled in relief and rested her head on her mother's shoulder, one arm around Santana's neck and the other around Brittany's. Santana felt her girlfriend's finger entwine with hers and she closed her eyes, revelling in the perfection of having the two most amazing girls in the world in her arms.

* * *

"Baby, are you almost ready?" Santana called from her bedroom, slipping her earrings in.

"Yes!" Brittany and Bella called simultaneously.

Santana chuckled. She needed more distinctive pet names. She glanced at her watch and decided that it was time for the second present of the day. Luckily, she'd had some help with this one.

"Would the birthday girl like another present before she goes to school?" Santana queried innocently, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Yes!" Bella squealed, running into her mother's bedroom and jumping onto the unmade bed.

"I'm starting to wonder if I should be worried that you've managed to keep these presents a secret," Brittany grinned as she walked in, pulling her hair into a high ponytail, reminiscent of the hairstyle she donned when she was wearing her Cheerios uniform.

Santana winked at her and sat down next to her daughter.

"Ok, birthday girl," she said seriously. "This one's from your grandparents. They can't come down this weekend, but they'll be here in two weeks. So they sent me to deliver your present."

Brittany smiled and sat on the other side of Bella. Santana handed her daughter another envelope and she looked up at her in confusion.

"Mommy, do I only get grown up presents now cos I'm seven?"

Santana's brow creased in confusion.

"She's just giving you the super awesomest presents now and they're so small that they'd get lost in all your other presents," Brittany jumped in, reaching behind Bella to rest her hand against her girlfriend's back.

Santana smiled gratefully. Brittany always understood what Bella was saying when she didn't. It made her realise how many times she'd had to ask her daughter to explain herself in the past. It was kind of relieving not to appear so clueless.

"Why don't you open this first and then we can talk about your other presents on the way to school?" Santana suggested.

Bella nodded with a smile and opened the envelope with the vigour that Santana was used to when her daughter received presents. She pulled out three pieces of paper and frowned at them as she tried to decipher what they meant. Brittany's eyes went wide as she realised what the papers were for and the hand on her back moved to squeeze her hip. Santana shuffled closer to her girls happily.

"Mama, does this plane mean we're going somewhere?" Bella asked, pointing to the logo at the top of the page.

"Correct, baby girl."

Bella perused the page again. She sighed in frustration. Santana pointed to a date. "You know when that is?"

"That's today," Bella said, smiling. "It's my birthday."

"And the time?"

"Five o'clock."

"So what does that tell you?"

Bella looked up at her mother in disbelief. "Are we going on a plane, Mommy?"

"Indeed we are, baby girl."

"Yay!" Bella squealed, bouncing up and down in the bed. "Are we going to see Abuela and Abuelo?"

Santana smiled and leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear, "Think about your first present."

Bella gasped. "We're going to fly to Disneyworld? Today?"

Santana nodded, her heart about to burst with happiness at the look of excitement on her daughter's face.

"We're going to the airport straight from school and we're coming back on Sunday evening," she said, kissing Bella's head.

Bella stood and started jumping up and down on the bed again, forcing Brittany to break her hold on Santana for fear of a broken arm.

"Isabella Lopez, it may be your birthday, but you're still not allowed shoes on the bed," Santana said in a semi-stern voice.

Bella immediately jumped off and started doing an impromptu happy dance, much to the delight of Brittany. Santana quickly sidled up to her girlfriend and kissed her cheek.

"You wanna help Bella pack, babe?" she whispered.

"Really?" Brittany asked, her sparkling eyes wide.

Santana nodded. "I'll pack our stuff."

"No pjs," Brittany husked in a low voice, pecking her girlfriend's lips before grabbing a still dancing Bella and waltzing (literally waltzing) out of the room, pausing only to send a saucy look over her shoulder.

Santana fell back on the bed and fanned herself. Her temperature had skyrocketed about thirty degrees in five seconds.

_Brittany's tongue…that tongue…_

When she felt less aroused, Santana pushed herself off the bed and started packing clothes for their weekend away. She smiled as she busied herself. A whole weekend away with her girls, where they would be in their absolute element. She couldn't wait.

* * *

Santana and Brittany sang as they swung Bella between them on the way to her school. Bella squealed as she went higher than planned and started laughing uncontrollably when her feet touched the ground again. Santana and Brittany couldn't help but join in, even if they had no idea why she was laughing in the first place.

By the time they'd all got their breaths back, they'd reached Bella's school.

"Hi, Bella!" a voice called from the top of the stairs.

"Hi, Ms. Reacher!" Bella shouted back, waving.

"Her teacher's name is Ms. Reacher?" Brittany mumbled in Santana's ear, causing the Latina to burst into a new wave of giggles.

"Hi, Santana," the young teacher greeted.

"Hi, Erica," Santana replied with a smile.

Brittany arched an eyebrow. First name basis? She eyed Bella's teacher giving her girlfriend the once over and she felt a familiar fire in her chest. But she kept her cool. Seriously though, what was it with teachers lusting after _her_ girlfriend? Obviously Santana was all kinds of sexy, but…Argh. She had no argument.

"So, how's the birthday girl doing?" Ms. Reacher asked, leaning down.

"I'm awesome!" Bella shouted happily. "We're going to Disneyworld!"

"Oh, wow!" Ms. Reacher said enthusiastically.

Brittany made a face internally.

"I bet you and your mom are gonna have an awesome time there," Ms. Reacher continued.

"And Britt," Bella added with a smile.

_Little B, you are the shizz._

Bella's teacher finally looked in her direction with a surprised expression. "Sorry, I don't believe we've had the pleasure. I'm Erica Reacher-"

"Bella's teacher," Brittany finished with a barely concealed smirk. "I'm Brittany." She held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Erica grasped her hand and shook it firmly. Brittany simply held her smile and released the young teacher's hand.

"Babe, we should go," Brittany said to Santana, making sure that Erica heard them. They didn't really need to go. They had plenty of time to get to Griffin Hill.

Ok, so what if she was staking her claim? She was entitled to.

"Yup," Santana agreed, kneeling down in front of Bella.

"Have an awesome day, baby girl," she said, hugging her. "Britt and I will be here after school to fetch you, ok?"

"And then we're going on a plane?" Bella asked excitedly.

Santana laughed. "Yes, we are, baby."

Bella cheered and hugged her mother once more. They traced fingers over their foreheads and kissed each other. Brittany watched them with a warm heart. She loved seeing Santana with Bella. She wished so much that she'd seen how her girlfriend had raised her daughter. But she knew that they still had a long road ahead of them. Who knew what the future could bring.

"Big B?"

Brittany snapped out of her daydream and dropped to Bella's height.

"Are you back?" mini-Santana asked curiously.

"For now," Brittany winked. "Gotta go and visit Lord Tubbington every now and then."

Bella giggled and Brittany chuckled.

"Have a good day, Little B. Learn lots."

"I will," Bella replied, hugging the blonde tightly. "Love you!"

Brittany froze in her hug and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"L-Love you too, Little B," she eventually managed to get out.

Bella released the shocked blonde and started running towards the school. Brittany felt Santana's warm hands around her own as she knelt down in front of her where Bella had been moments before. Where she'd…

"Baby?" Santana said quietly. "Was that-"

"Yeah," Brittany breathed, her eyes focusing on Santana's dark ones. "That was the first time."

Santana smiled. "This day is turning out to be pretty awesome, huh?"

Brittany grinned back and nodded. "It's not even my birthday, but I feel like it is."

"You've still got over a month to go, baby," Santana chuckled, standing up and pulling her girlfriend with her. "Your turn will definitely come."

"Do you need me to keep Bella in class until you fetch her?"

Erica's voice interrupted their moment and Brittany tried hard not to roll her eyes, but she was sure her irritation came across. Santana didn't let go of her hands though.

"Oh, no, that's not necessary," the Latina said with a smile. "We'll just fetch her at the normal time. Got a big weekend ahead." Santana turned back towards Brittany with a wink and her special smile. "Oh!" she said quickly, turning back to Erica. "I apologise for her energy today. She had a very sugary breakfast. Birthday girl gets what she wants." She shrugged.

Erica laughed and Brittany's teeth grated. She really hoped that Santana wasn't blind to the obvious flirtation.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a pleasure to have in my class," Erica said, smiling brightly.

Santana glanced down at her watch. "Shit, we're gonna be late. Thanks, Erica. Have a good weekend!"

"You too!" Erica called as Santana pulled Brittany down the road.

"Babe, what's the rush?" Brittany chuckled, grabbing her girlfriend's waist and walking behind her to slow her down. "We've got plenty of time."

"I know," Santana replied, turning around. "Erica's just a little…too friendly for my taste." She linked her arms around Brittany's neck.

"Ok, good. Cos I totally thought I was gonna have to throw down back there," the blonde teased.

"Getting jealous, baby?" Santana smirked.

Brittany shrugged. "Just so long as they know they can't touch, I'm happy. You belong to me."

Santana's eyes immediately darkened and she bit her lip. "It's so fucking sexy when you do that," she mumbled.

The blonde grinned. "I know."

Santana chuckled and leaned in for a quick kiss, ending it far too quickly for Brittany's liking.

"I want more sweet lady kisses," she pouted.

"Aw, baby, don't worry," Santana cooed, linking their fingers together and starting a slow walk. "You'll get plenty of sweet lady kisses this weekend. And all day today if you're really good," she added with a wink.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "You planning on hiding in my office again, San? That didn't work so well last time."

Santana giggled. "Today may be Bella's birthday, but it's also another very special day for you and me."

Brittany smiled big. "Our one month re-anniversary?"

"Uh huh," Santana replied, leaning her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. "The whole Disney thing just popped into my head the other day, although Bella swears I heard her wish, but anyway. I always knew that you were going to come with us and I guess this weekend just seemed perfect with everything that was happening. Plus, I think we all need a break from life in New York."

Brittany hummed in agreement and tightened her grip on their entwined fingers.

"We should probably get a cab, babe," she said softly.

"Nah, we don't need to," Santana said simply. "Let's just walk."

"San, we'll be super late to school if we don't get a cab," Brittany replied, frowning. "We've never been late before. You really wanna start now?"

"Well," Santana drew out the sound, "we're not going to be late because we're not going in today."

Brittany stopped dead and stared at her girlfriend, who was sporting a proud smirk.

"Come again?"

Santana's smirk grew. "Well, we can definitely talk about that later," she began.

"Santana," Brittany said warningly, but couldn't stop a small smile of her own creeping onto her face.

The Latina chuckled. "Ok, here's part two of your gift." She stepped closer to the blonde and looked up at her shyly. "I organised for both of us to get subs for today because you and I need some girlfriend time. There are a few things that I would like us to do. First thing, I want to walk through New York City holding my girlfriend's hand."

She stepped away and started walking forward, but Brittany was trying to compute everything that she'd just said. They were teachers. How did they just get to take days off?

Santana tugged her hand and the blonde shook her head, returning to the present. She took a few quick steps to catch up with her girlfriend and tightened their handhold.

"Now I know why you aren't wearing heels," Brittany teased, nudging Santana's shoulder.

Her girlfriend laughed. "I was wondering how long it would take you to pick that up."

"Ok, so we're just walking through New York?" Brittany asked, looking around her.

"Well, yeah," Santana said with a shrug. "To start," she added with a sultry edge to her voice.

"I love how that gorgeous mind of yours works," Brittany said with a smile, kissing her girlfriend's head for emphasis, eliciting another giggle. "So, the musical? Did you cancel today's rehearsal?"

Santana nodded. "And I cleared everything with DC. Considering how hard we've been working the last two weeks and how well behaved we've been, when I explained my whole plan, he was happy to help." She chuckled. "I think he may be a little jealous of us."

"Why?"

"Cos we're so totally, completely, utterly head over heels in love with each other," Santana replied, pulling Brittany to her, pressing their bodies together.

"Well, I'd be jealous of us too," the blonde replied, brushing her lips across her girlfriend's jaw. "You know, if I wasn't already a part of us."

Santana chuckled and Brittany leaned down further to capture the movement in the Latina's throat with her lips. The laugh immediately turned into a gasp.

"B," she whispered.

Brittany pulled away and continued their walk. This time she had to pull Santana along with her. Her girlfriend gave her a slap on the arm and she just chuckled.

* * *

About an hour later, they were strolling past a few clubs and Brittany was pointing out which ones she enjoyed and which ones she steered clear from.

"Oh," the blonde said quietly, coming to a stop in front of a particular club.

Santana looked up at the sign.

"Oh, I remember coming here. In fact, it was exactly a year ago," she mused with a smile. "That was a fun night, actually."

"I remember."

"Huh?" Santana asked in confusion.

"I, uh, I was here that night. Today's also a year that I've been back in New York. I guess it was fate that I saw you the day that I got back."

"Wait, wait, back up," Santana said, scrunching her eyes closed. "You saw me a _year_ ago?"

Brittany nodded, her eyes still on the club.

"Ok," Santana said slowly. Her girlfriend's odd behaviour was strange, even for her. "Why didn't you come and talk to me?"

Brittany suddenly flushed and looked down. She started walking away from the club and Santana had to pull her hand back to stop her.

"B, you're kinda freaking me out here," she said slowly. "I'm starting to feel like something happened that night that I'm not going to like very much."

"Oh, no, no, no, San," Brittany said quickly, stepping in front of her girlfriend and kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry. It's just…it's kinda embarrassing."

Santana pulled back so that she could look up at her girlfriend. "Embarrassing how?"

Brittany looked up and closed her eyes. Santana didn't press her and just waited whilst her girlfriend gathered up the courage to spill the beans about what had happened a year ago.

Wait! Rachel had told her something after she'd seen Brittany again for the first time in the elevators. She'd said that she and Kurt had seen Brittany at this club that night, but they hadn't said anything.

"Rachel and Kurt saw you here," she offered quietly.

"Huh?" Brittany opened her eyes and met Santana's eyes.

"That night. A year ago? Rachel told me that she and Kurt had seen you. They didn't tell me though."

Brittany just nodded and took a deep breath. "Ok, in hindsight, this whole thing sounds ridiculous, but from my perspective at that time, it totally seemed possible."

Santana just nodded, squeezing Brittany's hands in encouragement.

"Ok, so I was inside and I saw you. Well, I actually saw your legs first, but I knew that it was you."

Santana chuckled at that.

"You took your phone from your bra and I loved how I knew you kept it there, even after so long and you went outside. I just…I didn't know what I was expecting, but I just followed you. I guess I've never been able to stay away from you if I could see you." She shrugged and Santana simply squeezed her hands again, giving her a sweet smile.

"I came outside and you were standing on that corner and you were talking to someone in Spanish, I'm guessing one of your parents." Santana nodded and Brittany took a deep breath. "And then I heard you talking to someone else and you were telling them how much you missed them and couldn't wait to see them and how much you loved them. You said Bella and I thought…I thought…"

"You thought she was my girlfriend," Santana said softly.

Brittany nodded sheepishly and looked down at the small space between them.

"It hurt, San. I felt like I'd lost you all over again and that there was someone else getting everything with you that I had. I knew immediately after seeing you in the club that I was still in love with you. I always was. All it took was seeing you to remind myself."

"Oh, baby," Santana whispered. "Now I kind of understand why things were so awkward between us at first. Besides the obvious. You thought I was happy with someone else and you didn't want to create any problems."

Brittany simply shrugged. Santana pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It was only ever you, Brittany," she said into her neck. "There wasn't even a potential after you left. Barring the mishap seven years and nine months ago, that is."

Brittany let out a small laugh and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's small body, pulling them impossibly close.

"Regardless of what happened a year ago or seven months ago, we're where we are now because we're meant to be together," Santana said softly, running her fingers through Brittany's hair. She'd pulled out her ponytail about ten minutes into their walk around the city. "And today is about celebrating that."

Brittany smiled and pulled away slightly so that she could lean down and kiss Santana deeply. Their breaths meshed and arms wrapped even tighter around each other. Two bodies became one.

Santana was the first to pull away breathlessly. "Th-the second thing on my list is to see how much of that week in Columbus we can cram in before fetching Bella."

Brittany was already facing the road, letting out a piercing whistle. Two seconds later, a taxi was stopped and the two women clambered in, giggling. Brittany gave the driver the address and the rest of the trip was spent staring into each other's eyes, fingers intertwining over and over, soft smiles and lusty looks. The latter were definitely becoming more popular as the cab finally reached its destination.

"I love you," Santana said breathlessly, slamming their apartment door closed behind them.

"I love you," Brittany replied tenderly, slowing down the heat of the moment completely by softly running her fingers through her girlfriend's luxurious hair and pressing her lips against her forehead.

Santana loved how she did that. They could interplay hot, passionate sex and soft, tender love making as easily as singing and dancing together. It was a big part of how they worked, and it was what had made their reunion a month previously so special.

Brittany took off her jacket and dropped it on the couch. Santana followed suit and took her girlfriend's outstretched hand, allowing herself to be slowly led into their bedroom, loving smiles on both of their faces.

* * *

**A/N: That's all, folks! Well, for now ;) So much of happy to be writing again :D Hope you guys like it :)**

**-H**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Hola, mi amigos :)**

**Ok, so much love for the love. Dayum :) I feel all sorts of special :)**

**I know you guys were looking forward to Disneyland, but having never been there myself, I didn't want to faux paux it all up and have angry readers telling me I didn't get it right. But there will be enough of an explanation to satisfy you, methinks :)**

**There are some things that need to still happen in this story and I don't want to drag out the fluffiness (as much as I love fluffy Britanella)** **and lose the direction I want the story to go :)**

**Also, it has come to my attention that I made a big boo boo with Ch. 21. It has been altered :)**

**I'm looking for someone with artistic ability (to rival my complete LACK thereof) to create a poster image thingy for my fics. Interested? PM me ;)**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 38**

Santana rubbed her tired eyes and glanced to her right. Her daughter was passed out, her head resting against a pillow propped up against the window and her feet lying across Santana's lap. Naturally, Bella had got the window seat both there and back. She slowly turned to her left, the slight movement causing Brittany's head to snuggle further into the crook of her neck.

She smiled and let her head rest against her chair as she played the most amazing weekend with her girls in her head.

First off, her marathon sexcapades with Brittany had been beyond amazing. They'd been adventurous and tried a few positions that they had last done in high school. There had been a lot of laughing and for Santana, that was the best kind of lovemaking. Brittany always made her feel so carefree and happy, like anything could happen.

They'd met Bella after school and made a quick stop off at Rachel's theatre, where Finn and Kurt were waiting to sing a beautiful rendition of _Happy Birthday_ to Bella. She had been so excited, wanting them to repeat the performance. In order to catch their plane on time, they hadn't had time, but luckily (because she was a total genius) Brittany had filmed the whole thing on her phone and let Bella watch it over and over again on their way to the airport.

Bella had claimed the window seat, her excitement palpable. Santana and Brittany had simply lovingly watched her, their fingers entwined. Possibly the highlight of the entire trip had been an elderly couple that had sat behind them.

"She's absolutely beautiful," the woman had said, leaning over the back of Santana's seat, indicating Bella with her eyes.

"Thank you," Santana replied, smiling widely.

At that moment, Brittany and Bella had started rapping some song that Santana hadn't even heard of. Hearing her daughter trying to be all gangsta made her want to giggle with giddiness.

"You have a beautiful family," the woman had said warmly.

Brittany had looked up at that point, smiling widely at the woman. She had returned it and Santana had just nuzzled her neck, kissing her cheek softly.

Bella's energy had only dissipated once they'd been flying for about half an hour. She kept describing all the Disney characters in great detail, engaging Brittany in a playful debate about who was the best princess.

Santana, sitting in the middle, had offered to swap with Brittany, but the blonde had smiled and said that she liked being able to be so close to both her girls at the same time. The Latina had blushed and buried her nose in her book.

Their first evening had been spent getting settled into their hotel, Bella and Brittany checking each every bed for jumping durability and a lengthy dinner at a nearby restaurant. Bella had requested that they get all dressed up because she wanted to show off her new red dress that Kurt had designed for her. Her mother and best friend had happily complied, keeping their subtle touches across the table to a minimum, but barely.

They'd walked past a Disney stall and Santana had told Bella to pick out whichever stuffed animal she wanted. Excitedly, Bella had spent about half an hour debating the pros of having a life sized Nemo or an authentic Daisy Duck. Santana had eventually just bought both and a subtle glint in her daughter's eye told her that she'd planned it all along.

After an impromptu dance session outside their hotel, Santana had carried an exhausted Bella up to bed. She had sung her favourite song to her daughter as she slumbered. She'd joined Brittany in their massive king-sized bed and traded soft kisses before Brittany had requested the same song. She'd sung it softly until the blonde had drifted off into a deep sleep.

Saturday and Sunday morning had been a blur of rides and running after Bella and holding Brittany's hand as she pulled them to all the best stands with the best toys. Santana had happily played carrier, collecting about ten stuffed animals by the end of the day. The smiles on her daughter and girlfriend's faces had made every second worthwhile though.

After getting soaked on one of the rides, the trio had run back to the hotel to change into dry clothes. Brittany had taken the five minutes afforded to them to attack her girlfriend with passionate kisses. They'd ended up on the bed, only to be rudely interrupted by Bella jumping on top of them. She hadn't minded, though – Brittany had given her more than enough sweet lady kisses later that night.

Santana smiled at the memory and her left hand tightened around Brittany's subconsciously. More than ever, she was so glad she had listened to her heart. And the future promised only more happiness for them. She grinned to herself and recalled a conversation from Friday morning, when she and Brittany were naked in bed.

* * *

_Santana smiled lazily and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist, resting her hands on the smooth expanse of her back. She felt Brittany shiver as she trailed fingers across the skin._

_Brittany giggled into her neck. "You know that's a weak spot for me."_

_Santana grinned. "I do declare I never did," she said in a fake Southern drawl._

_Brittany snorted. "Honey, I think your sexiness factor just went down a few notches."_

"_Yeah?" Santana smirked._

_The blonde just raised an eyebrow in challenge._

"_Guess I'll have to knock it back up again," Santana said huskily, leaning down, but Brittany burst out laughing before she could kiss her. _"_And now?" Santana asked in amusement._

"_Sorry, you just said knock it back up again. Liked you could knock me up," Brittany smiled, a little giggle in between. "Sorry, it's silly, I know. When I'm happy like this, I have random thoughts like that."_

_Santana smiled. "I think it's your turn next anyway," she said softly._

_Brittany's head snapped up and she stared into Santana's trusting eyes._

"_Are…are you serious, San?" she whispered._

"_I've already popped one out," Santana replied, holding her hands up in resignation. "I love Bella, but never again."_

_Brittany's smile lit up their dark room and it made Santana's gut pull deliciously._

"_But, are you serious, San?"_

_Santana left the contented smile on her face. "I think you know that I am, B."_

_Brittany let out a whoosh of breath and rolled them over, her arms holding the Latina tightly to her._

"_I seriously cannot thank you enough for making me happiest person in the world right now!" Brittany squealed into her girlfriend's chest, making Santana laugh out loud._

"_I want us to be a proper family, B. I know it's a little down the line, but I love that we're talking about stuff like this. We never did when we were younger."_

"_Well, I think that's cos we were eighteen, babe," Brittany said with a grin._

"_Hmmm," Santana agreed. "Didn't stop me from thinking about it, though."_

"_You did?"_

"_Course I did!" the brunette replied. She chuckled. "You're always so surprised when I show my soft side."_

"_I love your soft side," Brittany said cheekily, grabbing her girlfriend's naked ass and squeezing it._

_Santana giggled and buried her head in Brittany's neck. She sighed happily. "I envisioned a lot of things for us, B. A house, white picket fence, a dog, kids, the whole package."_

"_Why did you never say anything?" Brittany whispered._

"_I dunno. Probably fear. That stopped me from doing a lot of things. I was scared that you didn't want the same thing."_

_Brittany giggled and nuzzled Santana's shoulder. "That's so silly. I've loved you since we were thirteen. Why wouldn't I want to spend my life with you?"_

_The way she said it made Santana feel a little sheepish and, of course, the blonde immediately picked up on it._

"_Hey, I didn't mean it like that. All I'm saying is that at least we're doing it right this time. If you still want those things, then I absolutely do too."_

"_Really?" Santana asked, lifting her head to meet Brittany's eyes._

_She smiled. "Really, really," she whispered, bring their lips together._

_Pretty soon, they were heading into round five._

* * *

Santana left the smile on her face for a while. She felt sorry for the stewardesses. She probably looked like some creeper.

"Sanny," Brittany murmured, nuzzling her again.

"Hey, baby," the Latina replied quietly, tracing her finger over her forehead. She hadn't called her Sanny since middle school. It was cute.

"Don't climb the tree," Brittany murmured again.

Santana giggled quietly, trying to keep her shaking shoulders to a minimum. Her girlfriend was too damn adorable.

"Hmmm," Brittany murmured, her free arm wrapping around Santana's stomach.

She raised an eyebrow. The blonde's body was now lying at an awkward angle; she couldn't possibly be comfortable.

Brittany smacked her lips softly. "Cherry chapstick," she mumbled.

This time, Santana snorted quietly, but it was enough to jerk her girlfriend awake.

"I'm sorry, baby," she said quietly, placing a hand on Brittany's cheek and she looked around disorientated. "We've still got a bit to go. You can go back to sleep if you'd like?"

"Hmmm," Brittany murmured. "Can I lie on your boobs?"

Santana chuckled, glancing around in case anyone had heard her mumble, but it didn't look like anyone had. She lifted her left arm and told Brittany to turn around. She lifted the armrest between them and Brittany snuggled back into her. Santana angled her body, careful not to wake her daughter, so that Brittany's head was resting against her breasts.

"Hmmm," Brittany hummed in approval, rubbing her head against them before promptly falling asleep again.

Santana just smiled and kept her left arm steady around her girlfriend's waist. Yeah, she was _definitely_ gonna marry this woman one day.

* * *

It was after eight when Santana finally unlocked their apartment door and dragged their bags inside. Brittany followed, carrying a sleeping Bella. She had pretty much slept through everything since they'd left Florida.

"Can I put her to bed?" Brittany whispered.

Santana smiled up at her. "Of course, my love. I love that you want to."

Brittany grinned and leaned down to give her girlfriend a lingering kiss.

"Hmmm," Santana hummed when the blonde pulled away. "I think we need a bubble bath after this crazy weekend."

"Sounds amazing, babe," Brittany replied softly. "I'll meet you there in a bit?"

Santana nodded and walked into the bathroom, starting the hot water. She lit a few candles and poured some of Brittany's favourite bubble bath. She walked back to the living room and took their bags to their bedroom. She had no energy to unpack anything now, but she figured Bella would want her new favourite stuffed animal. Or stuffed animal_s_. Brittany had found, hidden somewhere deep at the back of a stall, a fluffy toy pillow with all the main Disney characters on it. Bella had immediately fallen in love with it and Brittany had insisted that it would be her present to Bella. Santana had graciously stepped aside and let Brittany pay, she thought, a ridiculous amount for a stuffed toy, even if was a limited edition. But Bella had loved it so Santana couldn't really complain.

She dug the toy out of the extra bag they'd had to buy to accommodate all the stuff they'd bought and walked to Bella's room where Brittany was busy dressing her in her onesie. She dropped the toy onto her daughter's bed and tapped her girlfriend's ass smartly before grinning on her way out. Brittany's soft giggle just widened it.

She shut the water off and quickly undressed, slipping into the deliciously warm water with a sigh of contentment.

"Crap," she mumbled, remembering that she had promised to call her parents when they'd arrived back safely. She leaned over the tub and grabbed her jeans, pulling her phone out. She scrolled for the right number and let it ring.

"_Hola, mija_," Maribel said cheerfully.

"_Buenos noches, mami_," Santana smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Did you three have fun on your trip?"

"Oh, Mami, it was so amazing," Santana said with a sigh. "The girls had so much fun. It was awesome. Thank you."

"Oh," Maribel brushed it off and Santana could almost see her mother waving her hand. "_Mija_, you know how we love to spoil our daughter and granddaughter. And adoptive daughter," she added with a laugh.

Santana grinned. "Not too far off," she said before she could stop herself.

_Shit! You're supposed to be keeping this a secret, Lopez!_

"Oh, really?" Maribel's voice was full of curiosity. "Does that mean what I think it means, Santana?"

"Ummm," Santana mumbled. "Maybe?" she said shyly, curling her toes in the warm water.

"Oh, this is going to be amazing! I can't wait-"

"_Mami, calmarse_. I haven't even asked yet," she hissed, petrified that Brittany would choose the most inopportune moment to walk in. Sure, the blonde knew of her plan – she hadn't quite figured out how, though – but she still wanted it to be a surprise.

Santana switched to Spanish, just to be safe. "_Mami_, I know that I'm ready to do this. And she's ready and so is Bella. We wasted so much time being angry and silly and I'm done wasting time with her. I love her so completely and I want to make it official."

"Oh, _mija_," Maribel breathed. "Lio!" she screeched, causing her daughter to hold the phone away from her ear in pain.

She heard her mother rapidly repeat what Santana had just said to her father and it made her smile at the proud note in Maribel's voice.

"Santanita!" Lio's voice came through strongly. "Is this true? Are you thinking about marriage?"

Santana bit her lip. "_Si, papi_," she whispered. "I want everything with her."

"This is fantastic news! We can't wait to come and see you in two weeks. We should go shopping, the three of us."

"Yeah?" Santana said with a wide grin.

"Yes."

"_Gracias_," Santana said with a smile.

She looked up and saw Brittany tiptoe in, smiling at the romantic set up. She quickly stripped and Santana scooted forward so that Brittany could climb in behind her.

"Papi, I just wanted to say a very big thank you from both Brittany and myself for this weekend. It was…"

"Magical," Brittany whispered behind her, pulling Santana back against her once she'd settled.

Santana smiled. "Yes, magical. It was the best present I could have given her. And the timing couldn't have been more perfect."

"Well, since you say that, why didn't you propose this weekend, then?"

"Uh, Papi, certain ears are nearby now," she muttered in Spanish.

"Ah!" he said, immediately understanding. "Well, we shall leave you to the rest of your evening."

"Ok, Papi. Tell Mami I love her and that I'll probably call her sometime for our weekly marathon chat about absolutely nothing."

Brittany giggled and Santana did too. She couldn't help it; it was infectious.

"Bye, Nita," Lio said warmly.

"Bye, Daddy," Santana said shyly.

She always got shy when she became Daddy's Girl. She was almost twenty-seven for Christ's sake. What mid-twenties girl was still such a Daddy's Girl?

She ended the call and looked adoringly at her background for a moment. Brittany and Bella always managed to grab hold of any photographic device and take amazing pictures of themselves. Santana had long passed the point of being surprised if there was a new background on her phone or laptop every time she looked at it.

"I like that one," Brittany said softly, letting her hands run across her girlfriend's stomach.

Santana chuckled and dropped her phone on top of her pants that were lying on the floor. "You like them all, that's why you take so many. But I love that I get to see my girls wherever I go." She settled back against Brittany and rested her against the blonde's shoulder.

"So what were you being all secretive to your parents about?" Brittany asked curiously.

"Um, nothing, really," Santana said dismissively. "Just plans for when they come down in a fortnight."

"I could go down on you for a fortnight," Brittany said wistfully, her hand absently travelling a lot lower down Santana's stomach.

"Oh," the Latina breathed, her back arching slightly as Brittany's skilled fingers lightly ran over her folds.

"Sex in water is always my favourite," Brittany husked in her girlfriend's ear. "So much wetness all around that I sometimes don't know how much of it is yours."

Santana moaned softly, her breathing increasing its pace as Brittany fingers sped up.

"Inside," she gasped. "God, B, I need you inside."

"Hmmm," Brittany mused, happily complying. "Fuck, San, you're wet. How do you get _so_ wet for me?"

"Because I love you so fucking much," Santana said between gasps and laboured breathing. "God, only you can do this to me."

"That's right," Brittany replied with a grin. "Only me."

She flicked Santana's clit a few times, pumping in hard with three fingers, loving how Santana's walls were clenching desperately at her digits.

Santana's breathing became high-pitched and almost whiny, but in a very sexy way as Brittany continued working her up slowly. There was no need to rush things. They had the rest of their lives together. The thought made Brittany tighten her grip around Santana's waist as she fucked her.

"I love you," the blonde said breathily into Santana's ear, rocking her hips into her backside and moaning softly at the friction it caused against her own clit.

That was all it took for the Latina. Brittany held her close as her back arched and her legs shook.

"Oh, God," she breathed out. "Jesus, B. That was…" She struggled to pick up her breathing.

"Yeah, it was," Brittany agreed, still moving her fingers inside her girlfriend as she brought her down.

When Santana was breathing relatively normally again, she pulled out gently and ran her fingers over the Latina's lips. She took a sharp breath in as that magnificent tongue darted out to slide over her three fingers coated in her juices.

"Holy shit," Brittany whispered, her arousal becoming somewhat unbearable. She must have let out a little noise of discomfort because Santana was on her knees in no time, her breasts resting just below the surface, too tempting for Brittany to ignore. Santana let out a soft moan as the blonde's expert hands caressed them.

"Baby, it's your turn," she said breathlessly. "We can go for round two later, but right now I really wanna taste you."

"Here?" Brittany asked in surprise.

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm certainly not moving. So lie back and enjoy."

Brittany's eyes widened as Santana controlled her breathing, taking a deep gulp of air before disappearing under the water.

"Oh, Jesus, oh, Jesus, oh, Jesus," Brittany muttered, her hands gripping the sides of the bath as Santana's incredibly talented tongue swirled around her. The water swimming around her throbbing clit just added to the amazing sensation of Santana going down on her.

"Fuck me," the blonde moaned, trying desperately to keep her noises to a minimum. One of her hands found their way into Santana's wet hair, holding her in place, but not pushing her down in case she needed to come up for air.

"Oh, oh," Brittany gasped as she felt her girlfriend's tongue moving around her entrance. "Oh my God, this is gonna be amazing," she whispered.

Santana tried desperately, but couldn't hold her breath any longer and broke out of the water, taking a deep slow breath.

"How you doing there, baby?" she asked softly, breathing hard. Her right hand tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Hmmm," Brittany murmured. "That felt amazing."

"Well, I hope you know I'm not done," Santana chuckled. She dipped her left hand under the water, keeping her right anchored against Brittany's face. She looked deeply into her eyes as she entered her with two fingers.

"Oooooh," she moaned, her eyes rolling back.

"Quiet, baby," Santana chastised.

"So good, though," Brittany said between gasps. "Holy Jesus fuck!" She took a deep breath in as Santana's fingers worked their magic inside her hot core.

"Close, baby," Brittany mumbled.

"Then excuse me for a moment," the Latina replied, taking another deep breath and disappearing underneath the water.

Brittany momentarily mourned the loss of Santana's fingers, but gasped and bucked when she felt that silky tongue exploring her insides. The water sloshed around as Brittany tried desperately to control her movements, but Santana knew exactly which buttons to press that drove her higher and higher until…

"Fuck!" Brittany moaned, her body freezing, toes curling and then collapsing, pleasure coursing through every vein.

She felt like dead weight. She could barely move, but she could still feel her girlfriend's soft, sexy lips moving all over her body, her wet hair making the sensations even better.

"You like that, baby?" Santana whispered, sucking gently on her neck.

"Hmmm," Brittany murmured, trying desperately to will her arms to move around the Latina and hold them together. She pouted in disappointment and Santana giggled, noticing it.

She pecked that sexy bottom lip. "Your body doesn't like you right now, does it?" she teased.

"Not fair," Brittany mumbled. "I'na hug you."

"You can hug me all you want when we're in bed. Right now, this water's getting cold and I wants to get my cuddle on with my incredibly sexy girlfriend."

"Yes," was all that Brittany could manage, but she was proud that it came out strong and determined.

She felt Santana move away from her, despite her feeble attempts to grab her back to her body.

"Noooo," she moaned, pouting.

"Come on, sexy, a nice big warm bed awaits us," Santana said enticingly, using that seductive voice that Brittany loved so much.

"Fuckin' love you," Brittany muttered, gripping the sides of the bath as she pushed herself up. She felt strong arms around her waist as her girlfriend helped her out of the bath. She felt Santana drying her with a towel and smiled at her girlfriend's loving tenderness.

"Really glad it's not far," Brittany mumbled, smiling at the sight of their gloriously comfortable bed.

"There you go, beautiful," Santana said tenderly, depositing Brittany on her side.

The blonde immediately snuggled into the pillows, her gorgeous ass sticking out.

"Hmmm," Santana murmured, biting her lip. She shook her head. As tempting as it was, in Brittany's half sleeping state, she'd probably get a surprised backhand through the face, It had happened before. Brittany had been so apologetic that she gone down on Santana about twenty times in as many hours.

The Latina shivered in pleasure at the memory of her spent body and how she couldn't walk for the next two days. She walked into the bathroom and drained the water, clicked off the light and poked her head into her daughter's room, but Bella was completely passed out, her new favourite toy clutched firmly in her little hands. Santana smiled lovingly and walked buck-naked into her bedroom. She switched off the light and climbed into bed, the tiring weekend catching up to her.

She felt Brittany reaching for her and automatically shuffled across the bed to her warm girlfriend. Brittany rolled onto her back with a grunt and pulled Santana into her side. The Latina happily snuggled against the blonde and kissed her cheek.

"Night, B."

"Hmmm, love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

Brittany frowned and scratched her head. Something was off and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"San?" she called from the stage.

"What's up?" her girlfriend replied, walking down the steps from where she'd been sitting at the desk.

"This tango isn't right," she muttered, more to herself than anything. "It's…there's something…"

"Ok, show me," Santana said, holding up her arms.

Brittany stepped into the stance immediately, wrapping her arm around Santana's back. Her brow was still furrowed. They moved quickly through the steps of a dance they'd perfected for their _Survivor/I Will Survive_ mash up. Santana had loved the power of that song so much that she'd included it in her script.

Santana felt where Brittany faltered. "Ok, wait, B. Why are trying to change this part?"

"I want to do a spin, then a dip, then another spin and the mirror move," Brittany explained, still frowning.

Santana automatically ran a finger across the lines on Brittany's forehead, momentarily forgetting that they were on a stage with about twenty students.

"Oops," she whispered, but Brittany was smiling and the worry lines were gone. The Latina grinned back. "Just us, B. Dance with me."

No more words were needed. The music started and they moved effortlessly through the dance, incorporating the changes that Brittany wanted to make easily. It always was with the blonde as a partner. She led so expertly.

"Figured it out?" Santana asked with a smile, breathing a little harder.

"Yup, thanks," Brittany replied with a wink.

Santana chuckled and turned to walk off the stage and back to her work. She was figuring out the interaction between the three main characters in a major revelation scene, but placement was incredibly important.

She furrowed her brow as she rejected idea after idea. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes flew open to the sound of Brittany's phone vibrating on the table. She left it, letting it go to voicemail. She didn't recognise the number and wasn't about to assume that she could answer her girlfriend's phone at any time. After the third time of calling back, Santana snatched up the buzzing device.

"Hello, Brittany's phone."

"Is the superstar available?" a male voiced asked, roaring with laughter.

"What?" Santana asked, wrinkling her nose as though she could smell the sleaze through the phone. "Who is this?"

"It's Big Rick, baby!"

_Who the fuck is Big Rick?_

"Britt, babe, where the hell are you?"

"I'm sorry, but Brittany is currently busy teaching at the moment," Santana snapped in a low voice so as not to attract attention.

"No, she's supposed to be here."

"And where exactly is here?" Santana asked dryly.

"At the bus station! Did she forget that she's the lead dancer in none other than Ms. Britney Spears' comeback tour?"

Santana felt the wind rush out of her. "No, you're wrong," she said, wishing her voice sounded stronger.

"'Fraid not, sweetheart. Got her contract right here. Says she belongs on this bus for the next…six months. Yup, North America and Europe, baby."

_Ohmygod, ohmygod, no. NO! This has to be some kind of mistake._

"I'm sorry, Rick," Santana said snippily. "But you've clearly been duped. Brittany didn't sign any contract to go on a tour."

The voice on the other end huffed. "Look, I got a contract signed by her with that ridiculous heart on the 'i' like she always does. She told me that she'd meet us here today, at four. Ms. Spears asked for her specifically and she was only too happy to jump at the chance."

Santana felt her throat go dry and her hands started shaking.

"Ohmygod," she whimpered. "It's happening again."

She stood up abruptly, causing the chair to scrape roughly on the floor, alerting Brittany. Her brows furrowed at the look on Santana's face and she immediately made her way towards the Latina.

"No, no," Santana mumbled, backing away.

"San, what's wrong?" Brittany asked in concern, taking the steps two at a time.

"You lied!" Santana hissed. "I…I trusted you and you straight-faced lied to me! I can't believe this. I can't believe that I fell for this bullshit story again!"

Tears were streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks and Brittany saw her phone in Santana's hand. She could still hear voices coming through so obviously the Latina hadn't disconnected the call and neither had the person on the other line.

"Santana, who are you talking to?"

"Yeah, I bet you didn't think I'd find out, huh?" Santana snapped, angrily wiping her tears away. "I bet you had a good old laugh over stupid Santana falling for your story."

"Santana, please, I don't know what you're talking about!" Brittany pleaded, closing the distance between them.

"Don't lie to me!" Santana hissed, her eyes shooting daggers. The hatred in them froze the blonde in her place and she started to get really scared. There was something very, very wrong.

"San, please just explain to me what's going on?" Brittany asked, her eyes begging.

"Rick's on the phone for you," Santana said in a cold tone, tossing the blonde her phone. "Apparently you're late to board a bus for six months to be the lead dancer on the Britney Spears' tour."

Brittany's eyes widened. "No, no, Santana, that's not true! I didn't sign up for anything! Please, you have to believe me! I promised you! I promised you I'd stay here with you and I'm keeping that promise! I didn't sign up for any tour!"

"He says he has a contract with your name signed, Brittany," Santana said and it killed the blonde to hear the hurt. "How could you?"

"Santana-" Brittany began.

But the Latina turned and fled up the stairs, out of the auditorium. Brittany took a deep breath.

"Fuck, no," she muttered, taking off after her. "I'm _not_ losing you again."

* * *

**A/N: Hiiiii :) I present to you…spanner number ONE! :)**

**I quite liked how this chapter had a little of everything…I'm going to try and do that as much as I can, but obviously we're in for a bit of angsty times for a smidge… *le sob***

**Let me know what you think! Love hearing your thoughts :)**

**-H **


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: No frills, no fuss, on with the show :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 39**

"Santana! Stop!"

Brittany raced after her girlfriend as she bolted through the school. She knew she was heading for her classroom. Having longer legs and being more in shape (not that Santana was out of shape in any sense), Brittany gained on her, reaching out to grab her arm, but the Latina turned into her classroom just as she almost had her, slamming the door closed in record time.

Breathing heavily, Brittany tried opening the door desperately.

"San, please, just open the door. This is all a mistake. I'm not going on tour. I never signed any contract." She willed the angry and frustrated tears to stay away. "I promised you, San. And I haven't broken that promise. You are my everything now."

Anyone walking past would've thought the blonde a little crazy, talking tenderly to a closed door.

"San, everything I've told you since we got back together has been the truth. I love you _so_ much and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to sit outside this door and wait for you to come out."

Brittany promptly sat on the floor, legs crossed and facing Santana's classroom door. She closed her eyes and tried to picture her girlfriend sitting on the other side. Her heart almost broke at the sounds of muffled sobs.

"Don't cry, San," she whispered. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

It hurt. Fuck, it hurt. The first time had been bad, but this time it was worse. It was so much worse.

Santana leaned against her closed door, her legs pulled tightly to her chest as she sobbed. She could hear Brittany on the other side of the door, but she didn't care what she had to say.

The shrill ring of a phone caused her to quieten her sobs.

"Hello?" Brittany answered.

Santana pressed her ear against the door to listen closely.

"Rick? What the hell? Explain to me right now what the _fuck_ is going on!"

Santana almost wanted to berate Brittany for cursing so loudly while they were still at school. Then again, she'd had a breakdown in front of Brittany's entire dance class.

"Rick, I don't have any clue what you're talking about. I never signed anything. I haven't even _seen_ you since I got back last year. So I would really love to know how you could possibly have me down to do a concert that I never signed up for."

Santana could hear her laboured breathing. She was _pissed_. She really sounded like she didn't know what was going on.

But then…how…?

"Are you shitting me, Rick? I signed that contract _six__ years ago_. It became null and void after the JT show. You cannot pull this shit on me now. Do you have _any_ idea the damage this is causing? No! Rick, no. _You_ don't get it. I. Did. Not. Sign. Any. Contract. With. You. I'm not going on any tour. I've got an amazing job and I'm _not_ leaving New York."

It sounded like she was pacing.

"This is some sick joke, right?"

Santana swallowed.

"How could I have signed an updated contract when this is the first I've heard from you in a year?" Brittany said in exasperation. "Do you not understand how completely absurd this is?"

Jesus, what the hell was going on? Santana felt a huge ball of guilt lodge itself in her chest.

"What?"

Brittany's voice went soft, but not sentimental soft. It was angry soft. It was the worst kind of Brittany anger. Santana had only ever experienced it once and she sure as hell didn't _ever_ want to be on the receiving end of it again.

"Rick, don't bother. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Yeah, whatever. I'll keep you posted."

Santana closed her eyes, letting the tears fall again. It didn't feel like anything was ok. It still sounded like Brittany was going to leave her, whether it was her own choice or through some stupid contractual obligation that she'd forgotten.

_Stupid. Stupid, stupid!_

"San."

Her voice was soft, but the sentimental, tender soft that she always used with her.

"San, I need you to listen to me. I know you think that I betrayed you, but I promise you that I haven't. I love you _so_ much and I'm not leaving you. I'm going to get to the bottom of this mess and prove to you that you are all that I want from now until forever. Ok, San? Just let me show you that you made the right choice in trusting me again. You gave me your heart and I'm still protecting it. With everything that I have, I'm protecting it. I love you. I'm so sorry that this is happening. But I'm going to fix it. I'm _not_ leaving you. Never again." She whispered the last two words, but she was close enough that Santana caught them.

She wanted to yank open the door and hold her forever. She also wanted to yell and scream and punch her. But she was scared that this was some sort of trick. That Brittany really was leaving and that one look at her face would shatter her heart into a million pieces, to be left forever broken.

Her heart was pounding.

"_Para siempre, mi amor_," Brittany said softly, and that was all it took for Santana to completely lose it.

* * *

She didn't know how long she sat there for, rocking herself as she cried. At some point, she must've fallen asleep because a loud banging on her door woke her up.

"Santana?"

She frowned. What the hell was Rachel Berry doing at Griffin Hill?

"Santana, move away from the door. I've got the principal with me and he's going to unlock the door."

_Oh, shit. DC was _not_ going to be impressed with the drama between her and Brittany being displayed so publicly._

She used her hands to push herself in front of her file cabinet. The door opened and she didn't move.

"Santana?" came Rachel's careful voice. "Brittany called me."

At the sound of her name, Santana just let out a loud sob, alerting the diva to her whereabouts.

"Oh, honey," Rachel said soothingly, kneeling down next to her. "Santana, it's going to be ok. Come on, you're coming home with me."

Santana just shook her head. She didn't want to do anything or go anywhere because it would simply confirm that what she'd heard was real. That Brittany was leaving her. That she was leaving _again_.

"Santana, it's almost seven o'clock," DC said softly. "I need to lock up the school."

"Come on, you heard your boss," Rachel encouraged gently.

Seven pm? She'd been there for over three hours?

"Santana," Rachel said, a little more firmly.

She finally lifted her head to meet concerned brown eyes. The classroom was actually quite dark, and it was only the light from the hallway illuminating her face.

"Santana, stand up and come with me," Rachel said sternly.

The Latina took a shaky breath and used her hands to brace herself as she pushed her tired body off the floor.

"Santana, I'm booking you off sick tomorrow," DC said matter-of-factly. "Whatever is going on, you need to sort it out. You know I'm in full support of your relationship, but I cannot have such outbursts on school time again."

He wasn't being unfair and, to be honest, their relationship had already given him a few headaches. Santana simply nodded and hugged herself, walking out of her classroom.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, jogging to keep up with her.

"Auditorium," she whispered.

They walked there in silence and Rachel just watched as Santana gathered her things. It worried the starlet. Santana was back to being robotic. This was just like when Brittany had left the first time.

The Latina walked up the stairs, her expression showing nothing but fatigue. She was quiet throughout the cab ride, letting empty thoughts roll around her head. She couldn't risk thinking about anything. She knew exactly what the first thing would be to pop into her head.

"Bella's with Finn," Rachel said quietly, breaking the silence.

_Bella. Jesus. What kind of a mother am I?_

She simply burst into tears again.

* * *

The familiar elevator ride up to Rachel and Finn's apartment seemed to take an eternity. Santana was grateful that her friend wasn't pushing for answers. She probably suspected that she'd talk when she was ready.

Well, the short brunette was in for a long wait. Santana didn't feel like she'd ever be able to do anything again.

She watched as Rachel unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Hi!" Bella's excited voice immediately sounded.

As soon as Santana stepped into view, the smile disappeared from her daughter's face.

"Mama?" Her voice was small and scared.

Santana set her jaw, determined not to cry _again_. She couldn't do that to Bella. Not when she loved Brittany so much. Her daughter couldn't know just yet. It would kill her.

She knelt down and Bella ran into her arms.

"Mama, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "Where's Britt?"

Santana squeezed her eyes closed and hated that two tears escaped, running down her face.

"Bella, honey, I think your mommy just needs some rest," Rachel suggested gently. "Why don't we let her go lie down?"

"But..." Bella protested. "No, Mama, I wanna stay with you."

Santana held her hand up to halt Rachel's protest and simply picked her daughter up. Bella tightened her embrace, clinging to her mother desperately. She walked to her old bedroom and sat down on the bed.

Bella eventually pulled away and scooted back on the bed.

"_Mama, acostarse_," Bella said softly.

Santana sighed and obeyed, falling back onto the sheets.

"Up here," Bella encouraged.

She wiggled unenthusiastically to rest her head on the pillows. She and Bella just looked at each other in the darkness. Her daughter found her hand and squeezed it.

"Mama, I don't know what to do," she whispered in a scared voice.

"Me neither," Santana whispered back, choking back the sobs that were threatening.

Bella moved until she was curled against her mother's chest, her cheek resting against her heart. Santana wondered if she could hear that it was cracked.

* * *

Brittany knocked rapidly on Rachel's door.

The person with her opened their mouth, but closed it when Brittany sent a menacing glare their way. To say she was pissed would be an understatement.

"Goddamn, Rachel, open the fucking door," she muttered, banging again.

Finally, she heard the lock turn and a groggy-looking Finn peering out at her.

"Britt? What the hell? It's like two in the morning."

"Yeah, I know," she said, grabbing her companion and pushing past him. "Is she here?"

"Yeah, uh, she's in her old room. Britt, you shouldn't…"

But Brittany was already heading for the closed door. She turned and glared at the stranger in the room. "You move and I swear you will wish you'd never been born."

A meek nod satisfied Brittany enough to quietly open the door and slip the room. Her heart melted and broke at the same time as she surveyed Santana and Bella on the bed. Mini-Santana was tightly packed against her mother and Santana's whole body was curled around her daughter, as though she was trying to protect her.

Brittany swallowed nervously and walked around to the side that her girlfriend was laying.

"San?" she whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She gave her a slight shake when she got no response. The Latina moved slightly, but simply held her daughter tighter.

"Santana?" she said, a little louder.

Her eyes flew open and Brittany could hear how her breathing picked up its pace.

"San, please, it's just me," Brittany said softly.

"No," Santana whispered. "Go away."

"Baby, please," Brittany pleaded. "I need to talk to you."

"No," came the tired whisper.

"I told you that I wasn't going anywhere. I got the proof, San. I need to show you that I didn't break my promise to you." She knew she was begging and maybe in another reality she would be kicking herself for acting like this when she wasn't even the one at fault.

But when it came to Santana, as with all things with the Latina, she did whatever she needed to make sure she was always happy and safe. _Especially _since she'd been fortunate enough to have a second chance with her.

"I'm not giving up. I'm not going away. Not this time. Please just come with me? Please, Santana?"

The room was quiet as Brittany waited for a response.

"Wait outside."

A smile broke out on Brittany's face.

"Ok, take your time, ok? I'll be there as long as you need me to be."

She quickly left the room and closed the door quietly, turning around to find a very unimpressed Rachel glaring at her.

"You'd better have a very good reason for barging in here at two am after the mess you caused, Brittany," she hissed. "I thought we'd been through this before and that we wouldn't have to deal with it again. Yet here we are, barely a month later, and it's like eight years ago all over again."

"Rachel, I know this looks bad," Brittany said in a low voice. "But it was all just a huge mistake. One that I'm about to rectify. I never broke any of my promises to her. I would never do that to her."

She met Rachel's gaze earnestly, willing her to see the truth in her eyes.

"Fine," Rachel conceded. "Finn and I will be in our room. Try and keep it down?"

Brittany just nodded and started wringing her fingers, pacing as one minute turned into five, which then turned into ten.

Finally after almost twenty minutes, the door to Santana's old bedroom opened and she stepped out. Brittany had to physically hold herself back from engulfing her girlfriend in a never-ending embrace. She wished she could just hold her and never let go.

"Hi," she breathed.

Santana didn't meet her gaze, just pulled the door closed behind her and leaned against it, folding her arms across her chest. Brittany recognised it immediately as her ultimate defensive stance. She had all her walls up. She was in for an uphill battle.

Brittany glanced at the other person in the room and gestured for them to stand.

"Santana, I'd like you to meet someone," she said softly, her full attention on her girlfriend. "This is Sara."

* * *

Santana's eyes snapped up.

Was this some kind of joke? Why in the hell was Brittany's ex-girlfriend or whatever the hell she was standing in Rachel and Finn's living room at two-thirty in the morning?

"Before we continue, I need to apologise, San," Brittany began in that same low tone.

_Oh, Jesus, oh, fuck. Here it comes. Oh, God._

"I'm sorry. I did something really, _really_ stupid and part of this is all my fault."

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This isn't happening. I'm in a nightmare. Oh, Jesus, will someone please wake me the fuck up?_

"When I finished the Rihanna tour, I was immediately picked up by Madonna's choreographer to do her tour. There was barely any breathing space between the two of them. I was exhausted from coming home after a year-long worldwide tour and all I wanted was to sleep for a week. Rick, my ex-manager, drafted a contract that I made the mistake of signing without reading."

_Jesus, B. How could you be so- Don't you dare, Lopez._

She sighed and shook her head slightly.

"I know it was stupid. I know I shouldn't have signed anything I haven't read, especially from someone as sleazy as Rick. The contract basically stated that I worked for him, which I technically didn't, and that he was my boss, which he really wasn't, for the next three years. If, at any point, a performer personally requested me as a dancer, I _had_ to go. Now back then, that wasn't a problem."

Santana frowned as she stared at the ground. The little bit of law that she remembered doing told her that this sounded very suspicious. What the hell had Brittany gotten herself mixed up in?

"The contract came back to bite me when I had to leave _Dancing With The Stars_ after my third season with them because Justin Timberlake wanted me on his tour. I was just shy of that three year prison sentence, so I had to go."

_I don't care about this, B. I just want to know if you're leaving. Because if you are, I'll go into the kitchen and get you a knife so that you can cut out my heart here and now._

"When JT's tour ended, my contract was finished. I dumped Rick on his ass and went off doing my own thing. My one mistake with that was sticking around this piece of work," Brittany said, gesturing at Sara.

Sara scoffed and Brittany growled at her.

"I made the mistake of telling Sara about Rick and his completely unfair contract and how glad I was to be rid of him. I do remember telling her that I hoped I would never get requested to go on a tour again because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to say no."

_Fuck. Here we go. This is it. The final swing of the axe._

"But that was back when I was naïve and didn't actually care about where I was going next. When I talked to Rick today, he was adamant that I'd _renewed_ my expired contract with him a few weeks ago. Which is impossible because I haven't even spoken to Rick in over a year, let alone seen him." Her voice was bitter. "Which made me wonder: Who was the one person who felt the need to screw me over so badly that she'd commit _fraud_ to try and get me to leave to go on a six-month tour with her?"

_Wait. What?_

"Sara, I believe the floor is now yours."

Santana didn't think she'd ever heard such disdain in Brittany's voice before.

"We don't have all night," Brittany snapped after a few moments of silence. "Hurry up, Sara."

"Fine. Ok, well, obviously, I made a seriously bad judgement call, but I love Brittany and I just wanted to show her that I could be what she needed if she just gave us a chance. When I found out you guys were back together, I knew I had to do _something_. You were all she ever fucking spoke about."

Santana felt her blood start to boil, and it was damn refreshing.

"Britt left some things in my apartment after she moved out and this contract with Rick was one of them. I read through it and figured that I could maybe tweak it so that she _had_ to do the Britney Spears tour. I knew that if she left again, you wouldn't take her back." She shrugged as if it were no big deal.

_How the hell can she stand there acting all nonchalant when she just put me through half a day of _hell_?_

"She changed the dates on my contract so that it appeared as though I was still under contract to Rick, forcing me to go on this tour," Brittany said. "Luckily, I actually do have a brain and I'm not as stupid as I was back then and I went to Rick's office and checked his copy of our original contract against this supposed new one. Once I pointed out the obvious forgery, he conceded and tore up both contracts."

Santana needed to sit down. This was too surreal. It sounded like something out of a bad spy movie or something.

"I could have you arrested, Sara, do you realise that?" Brittany spat, and for the first time since that afternoon, Santana looked up at her.

She was seething mad. The Latina had _never_ seen her so angry. She'd seen her angry, but not like this. She was physically shaking with rage, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"What?" Sara's eyes were wide. "B-But-"

"What you did was illegal. You altered a legally binding document and tried to pass it off as the real thing," Brittany said stonily. "That's called fraud and you could go to jail for it."

"Britt, you wouldn't-"

"After the shit that you just put us through?" Brittany interrupted. "Fuck yes, I would. In a heartbeat. Who the hell do you think you are? Are you that twisted that you just couldn't stand to see me happy? Are you that vindictive? Did it _ever_ occur to you that this wasn't just about you and me? Or about me and Santana? There's a little girl in there that I love like my own daughter, and you were about to rip her world apart because you can't get it through your thick skull that the messed up _thing_ that we had is long over."

She was breathing hard and Santana stood up. Now it was her turn.

"People like you don't deserve to even be around people like Brittany," she said softly, glad that her voice came out strong. "What kind of person tries to take advantage of the most amazing girl in the world? And if, by some miracle, this fucked up crazy idea of yours had actually worked, did you _really _think that she'd just fall in love with you? Here's your wake up call. Brittany and I are the forever kind of love. People like you come along and stir shit up and all it does is make us stronger. You're seriously delusional if you think that she'd love you after this when she didn't love you for the six years you were fucking around."

Sara's eyes widened.

"Oh, you didn't think she'd tell me?" Santana asked, stepping closer. "Well, I guess now you know that we're not be messed with. We went through hell to find each other and I can speak for both of us when I say that it's gonna a lot more than some batshit crazy psycho bitch to break us up."

She felt Brittany standing behind her right shoulder.

"I leave her fate to you, San," she said softly.

Santana took a deep breath, carefully weighing her options. As she did, her eyes held Sara's. It was a challenge and she was being completely territorial, but she didn't care. This bitch had caused her a fuck load of unnecessary heartache and that she didn't take lightly.

She stepped right up in Sara's personal space, making the slightly taller girl stumble back a bit, but she didn't have anywhere to go. Her back was against a wall.

"Here's how things are gonna go down. You're gonna walk out that door and never, and I mean _never_, contact Brittany again. And I'm talking texting, Skyping, IMing, Facebook, Twitter, fucking carrier pigeons, I don't care. You will not ever speak to her again. Are we clear?"

She saw Sara's eyes flicker past Santana to where she knew Brittany was still standing, but she obviously didn't get the response she was looking for.

"If you _don't_ comply to that one very simple rule, I happen to know a few very good lawyers. Personal friends of mine, you understand. They'd be _very_ displeased to hear about how some _puta_ tried to mess with me and Brittany. Cos you see, me and Britt, well, we go way back. And people love us. Us. As in together. Which is why they wouldn't take kindly to someone upsetting the apple cart. Are we understanding each other here?"

Santana knew she in full bitch mode, but she really didn't care and she didn't think Brittany did either. Normally, she'd be begging Santana to calm down and back off, but not this time. Hell no, not when someone started messing with their relationship.

"Hey, bitchzilla, you need to decide whether we need to start ordering you an orange jumpsuit," Santana said, snapping her fingers. "What's it gonna be?"

Without a word, Sara slid out from between Santana and the wall and headed quickly for the door.

As soon as it closed behind her, Santana sat down on the couch and dropped her head in her hands. Had that actually just happened?

_What. The. Fuck._

She felt a dip in the couch next to her and, even though she was expecting it, she still jumped when Brittany's soft hand touched her arm. She pulled her hand back quickly and Santana lifted her head to see the sad look on her face. The blonde even shuffled a little away from her, obviously trying to make her feel more comfortable.

"B," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"No, it's ok," she replied, equally as quietly. "I get it. I mean, no I don't, really. But it's fine. You need time. A lot happened today."

_No! Shit. Fuck. Get your shit together, Lopez. Weren't you just telling your parents last night that you were tired of waiting? That there had been too much anger and time apart?_

Santana stood up and stepped in front of the blonde, who slowly looked up at her. The uncertainty in her eyes almost killed Santana.

_Fuck it._

She pounced on the blonde, kissing her furiously. Strong arms went around her and held her tightly. Their bodies were pressed flush against each other as they kept their lips locked.

A need for oxygen forced Santana to break away, but kept her forehead against Brittany's.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you so much, San," the blonde whispered back, her fingers digging into Santana's back. "I'm so sorry."

The Latina simply shook her head. "How could you have known? I completely flipped my lid though. I didn't listen to you. I just assumed the worst."

"Well, it hardly looked good," Brittany countered. "If the roles had been reversed, I probably would've reacted the same way. Which is why I knew I needed to prove to you that I wouldn't ever break my promise to you."

Santana sighed and rested her head on Brittany's shoulder. "Part of me knew that something wasn't right about this whole thing because I _knew_ you wouldn't hurt me like again. But that fear of you leaving…it completely blanketed me. It was all I could think about."

"I understand," Brittany said softly, kissing her forehead. "I'm surprised you let her go."

Santana shrugged. "We couldn't really do anything else."

"San, we could've pressed charges! Seriously, what she did was not cool."

"I know, but you said Rick tore up both contracts. That means no evidence, which means she'd probably get off scot-free. This way, she's instilled with the fear of Santana that she could still go to jail."

Brittany chuckled. "You are so amazingly brilliant."

"Please tell me there are no crazy stalker ex-dancer girlfriends that I need to worry about?" Santana pleaded. "I seriously don't think that I can endure that again. I felt like I was reliving our first break up again."

"Baby," Brittany said softly, lifting her face off her shoulder and cradling it. "She was the only one. No one could ever replace you. And no one can take me from you. I'm yours, whether you want me or not."

"B, I do want you. I want you so badly that it feels like it's going to kill me sometimes. That's why I get so scared. Because you're so deeply connected to my heart and my soul, especially now, if you ever left me, I'd die." Her voice caught as tears welled up again. "I can't live without you, Brittany. I just can't."

"Sshhh," Brittany soothed, running her finger across Santana's forehead. "You never will. _Para siempre_, remember?"

Santana nodded fervently and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's desperately. She was grateful that Brittany let her cling to her with frenzied kisses, like she was afraid that she was going to disappear somewhere. And Santana was truly terrified of that. After a tumultuous afternoon and evening, she knew more than ever that she couldn't live without her. Not ever.

Their kisses eventually slowed and became more loving and comforting, but still laced with the fierce passion that the two women shared. They broke apart briefly and blue eyes locked onto brown. In between laboured breathing, two words were whispered.

"Marry me."

* * *

**A/N: Doncha love me :D**

**Who said it? Eeeek :) At this point, I'm not even sure that I know ;p**

**So, as most of you detectives detected, Sara was indeed the culprit. What a bee-yatch.**

**And as a side note, my knowledge of the law (especially US law) extends to the numerous TV shows out there and that's it, so if I royally fucked it up, apologies. I'm a writer, not a lawyer :p**

**Cover art? Suggestions to my inbox, if you please. Both **_**Role Reversal**_** and **_**Birthday Letters**_** now have awesome cover art :D I'd love it if I could get a full set ;)**

**PLEASE let me know what you guys think? I was really nervous about how this chapter would turn out, but I think I covered what I wanted to and it was still realistic. Right? No? Ugh.**

**-H**


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Blown away by the reviews :D You guys rock.**

**We still have quite a journey to go. There definitely some things I still want to cover. Can't believe we're already on Chapter 40!**

**Also, most of you know that I reply to all reviews, although some of you review anonymously and I can't :( You raise valid points and I'd like to discuss them, but I can't :( I really do enjoy engaging with my readers…**

**Anyway, you are all kinds of awesome and I'm truly grateful that so many people out there are enjoying this fic :)**

**Many thanks to heyabrittanaxo for the gaw-juss cover art :D **

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 40**

"What-"

"Sorry, I-"

"No, I-"

"No?"

"What?"

"Based on your current position, I'm going to assume that your argument is over and you're all lovey-dovey again," Rachel said, interrupting Santana and Brittany. "Seeing as how it is now after three am, could you either pass out in the guest room or go home? Finn has work in the morning and I've got my final dress rehearsal tomorrow. Or today."

Santana swallowed and looked at Brittany, who simply squeezed her waist.

"Thanks, Rach," the Latina said quietly, slipping off her girlfriend. "Um, I think we'll just go home."

Rachel nodded. "Just lock the door behind you, ok?" she mumbled, clearly fighting sleep.

Santana quickly crossed the living room and enfolded her friend in a tight hug.

"Really, Rach," she whispered, "thank you."

"I know," the diva replied, hugging her back. "Be careful, ok?"

"I will be."

Santana released Rachel and watched her walk back to her bedroom. She stepped towards the guest room Bella was sleeping in, pausing momentarily to glance at Brittany who was still sitting on the couch. Their eyes met and she saw the same yearning she felt in her heart. She sighed.

_I should've just said yes_.

* * *

It was after four in the morning by the time they had Bella in bed. Santana watched as Brittany undressed, simply taking in the beauty of her girlfriend. She was sure the blonde knew she was being watched, and Santana appreciated that she allowed the unbidden staring. She felt incredibly lucky to have Brittany, especially after how she had completely overreacted.

During the cab ride home, Santana had mulled over what had happened and how she'd reacted. She'd immediately thought the worst and shut Brittany out completely and not listened when her girlfriend, the woman she trusted more than anything in the whole world, who would die before lying to her, had told her that everything had simply been a huge misunderstanding.

Santana had let her fear completely rule her reactions, something she wouldn't normally let happen, being the control freak that she was. But her love for Brittany was disarming. It always had been. It was why she had always been a softer and happier person when she was around the blonde. The control freak in her just grabbed onto that immediate fear she'd felt and let it seep through her entire body, overruling any form of logic. It had felt almost like a fight or flight response, but the flight had been fear. And she'd let the fear win.

"Come to bed."

Her voice was soft, gentle and loving. It made Santana smile as she undressed, happily leaving the weight of clothes on the floor. She slid under the covers and slowly shuffled to the middle of the bed where Brittany was already waiting for her.

"You've been pretty quiet since we left Rachel's," the blonde said in a soft voice, tracing her finger down Santana's cheek and along her jaw. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You didn't scare me, B. I definitely wasn't expecting it, but you didn't scare me." Santana paused. "I do have something I need to say, though."

"Um, ok," Brittany said, licking her lips nervously.

Santana scooted closer to her girlfriend to try and make her feel more secure. Their legs tangled and Santana draped her arm around Brittany's waist.

"I want to apologise," Santana said.

"San, you don't-"

The Latina put a hand over her girlfriend's mouth to stop her protests.

"Yes, B, I do. Please just let me, ok?"

The blonde nodded and Santana dropped her hand to where she could feel Brittany's heart beating faster than usual. She kept it there and looked into the blue eyes she loved so much.

"I'm so sorry, Brittany. I completely overreacted today. Instead of trusting you, which I said that I did, I let that fear of you leaving me completely rule my emotions. If I'd just stopped and thought about it for ten seconds, I would've realised that the whole thing was ridiculous. You kept telling me that you didn't know what was going on and that you hadn't broken your promise. _You_ kept apologising, even though you had nothing to be sorry for because you _didn't_ break your promise, B. And I should have known that."

After making sure that Santana was finished, Brittany pulled her closer so that her hand was trapped between the two of them and she could feel both their heartbeats. They were both beating really fast.

"Santana, if it had been the other way around, I probably would have reacted in the same way. You say that I love with my entire being, with my body and my heart and my soul. Well, you know that I've only ever loved you like that and I intend to love only you like that for the rest of my life. You may not think so, but you have two different kinds of love. You have your love for Bella and you have your love for me. They're different kinds of love, but you have so, _so_ much of each for both of us. I have never felt more loved by anyone other than you in my entire life. I sometimes feel like not even my parents love me as much as you do. So I understand how scared you got. What we have is so big, _so_ powerful and the thought of losing it is fucking scary. Anything that threatens it is scary and it absolutely makes you feel like you're losing control."

She paused and took a breath. Santana took the opportunity to kiss her softly, wanting to show her how appreciative she was of Brittany, of everything she did, everything she said, and everything she didn't do or say because she didn't need to. She was just Brittany and her perfect match in every way.

"It was a messed up situation and both of us could probably have dealt with things differently, but at least I managed to prevent a potentially serious problem later on." Brittany shook her head to herself. "Who knows what Sara would've done if this thing hadn't come about? In no way am I glad that this happened, Santana, please believe that. I never _ever_ wanted you to experience that kind of pain again. It kills me that my past, or someone from my past, made it possible for you to feel that way again. I feel like…it makes me feel like I'm not doing my job properly."

Santana smiled softly. "B, you do a wonderful job of protecting both me and Bella. You do that by just being you and loving us. I know that my heart is safe with you. It always was because even when I am in the wrong, you go out of your way to make sure that _I'm_ not the one hurting." She leaned in to brush her lips against her girlfriend's cheek. "It just makes me love you more."

The blonde blushed and looked down. Santana wiggled her wedged hand out from between them to tip her chin up. She didn't want to move her arm from around Brittany's waist.

"B, you need to tell me when I'm being an ass, though. You knew I was being irrational and I know that if you hadn't been so unsure of what was going on, you'd have given me shit for it. You know I listen to you when you call me out on whatever idiotic thing I'm doing. I get so wrapped up in my head that sometimes I just refuse to see the most obvious thing right in front of me. And that's you, B. _You_ have always been the most obvious thing right in front of me. We've had our ups and downs, but you're always there. You're _still_ there."

"That's because I love you, San," Brittany said, as though it was the answer to everything. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know you aren't," Santana replied, taking a nervous breath. "And I love you, Brittany. I love you so much. So my answer is yes."

Brittany's eyes widened and her mouth broke into the biggest smile Santana thought she'd ever seen on the blonde's face.

"Are you…San, are you serious?" Brittany whispered.

Santana nodded. "I should've just said yes when you asked me. That was always going to be my answer," she added shyly.

"Yes?" Brittany squeaked excitedly.

"Yes," Santana confirmed with a smile.

Brittany dove onto her lips, her arms pulling them flush with each other. Santana happily reciprocated the passionate kiss. After what felt like hours of deep, languid kissing, Brittany broke away breathlessly.

"Wait, but I don't have a ring," she said with a pout. "I mean, I know you wanted to do it so I kinda just was gonna let you." She grinned. "Cos, you know, I would've said yes too."

Santana chuckled softly. "Yeah, I do know that, but baby, I don't care if you don't have a ring. You're mine and I'm yours forever. We were always going to be forever, but now we're _really_ going to be forever, and the whole world is gonna know how in love I am with Brittany Susan Pierce."

"We're going shopping for rings tomorrow," Brittany mumbled before kissing Santana again.

"Gladly, my love," Santana murmured. She held her hand against Brittany's cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. "I am so looking forward to calling you my wife."

Brittany's eyes shone with happiness and they kissed slowly, knowing that the last twenty years, with all the ups and downs, had led them to this perfect moment.

* * *

"What do we tell her?" Brittany asked, pacing worriedly from one side of the living room to the other.

Santana just watched her in amusement. They hadn't slept, spending the last three hours making sweet love to each other, each sigh and moan filled with promises of the future.

"Baby, will you relax?" she teased.

"But what does this mean?" Brittany fretted.

"It means that you and I are engaged," Santana said simply. "Because I want you as my partner in life and love for the rest of our lives together."

Brittany paused in her pacing and blushed. Santana grinned widely and opened her arms in time catch her fiancée.

God, she loved how amazing that word sounded.

"You know, you keep spouting all these amazingly romantic things and you're going to run out of things to say for your vows," the blonde teased, bending to trail soft kisses along Santana's neck.

Santana chuckled. "Oh, baby, that's definitely something you don't have to worry about. There will never come a day where I won't be able to express to you how much I love you."

Brittany pulled back and just looked at Santana for a few moments, her eyes flicking over every inch of her face. The Latina didn't mind.

"How did I get so lucky?" Brittany murmured, running her finger lightly across Santana's forehead. "How, out of everyone in the world, did I get _so_ lucky to find you when I was six? I get to spend pretty much my _whole_ life with the person I love more than anything or anyone in the world." She smiled. "How did I get so lucky?" she whispered again.

"We're both lucky, B," Santana whispered. "Don't forget that I found you too. And I never realised how much I would need you. But you delivered. You stuck by me through all the bullshit I put you through and here we finally are, taking the step I've been wanting to for a while."

Brittany smiled and kissed her deeply.

"Mama?"

Santana broke away and saw her sleepy daughter yawning at the end of the small passage.

"Morning, baby girl," she said warmly, tapping Brittany's thigh to shift off her. The dancer complied easily and Santana stood up to walk over to Bella.

"Kmmmrrroonnyyy," Bella mumbled.

Santana chuckled and picked her daughter up, holding her tightly.

"Everything's fine, baby. I'm so sorry for scaring you last night," she said quietly.

Bella rested her head on Santana's shoulder. "Fllliiibbbmmnn."

"I know, baby. I really didn't mean to make you so worried." She relished in the small kiss her daughter placed on her cheek. "Are you awake enough for me and Britt to tell you something?"

"Gmmeeegggrrrssshh."

"Ok, baby," Santana said, kissing her forehead before depositing her back on the ground. "Come back when you're done."

She joined Brittany back on the couch and furrowed her brows at the smug expression on the blonde's face.

"What's that look for?" she enquired.

"Well," Brittany replied dramatically. "You know that the three of us are probably the only people in the world who understand the Lopez sleepy talk."

Santana smiled and nodded. She loved it. It was like their own secret language.

"Remember our first date at that Mexican restaurant where I told you that I knew you were going to propose? Well, not in so many words, but-"

"I remember," Santana interrupted, chuckling. She had a feeling where this was going.

"The Saturday after we got together, where you let Bella come home with me and then we fell asleep watching _Shrek_? When I was putting you to bed you told me in your super sexy secret sleepy talk that you were going to marry me."

Santana simply shook her head, smiling at the huge grin on Brittany's face. "Well maybe it's a good thing that you found out. You could think about whether or not you wanted to say yes," she teased.

Brittany cocked her head. "Oh, San, as if there was ever a doubt I would've said anything else. You could've asked me to marry you in high school and I would've said yes in a heartbeat."

Santana raised her eyebrows and her heart started racing. "Really?"

Brittany smiled warmly and nodded.

The Latina flushed and looked down. "Part of me wanted to, but I knew my parents would've killed me. They wanted me to finish my studies and all that before I thought about marriage. But they knew that I wanted to."

"Wow. I wonder how different things would've been if we'd gotten married after high school."

Santana pondered. "I don't think they would've been much different, B. We still would've come to New York and done what we did. You still would've gotten the offer from Rihanna."

"But maybe I would've thought more about how to approach you with it," Brittany said, her brows furrowing at the bad memory.

"Hey, we're not thinking about that anymore, remember?" Santana chided her softly, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers. "Everything happens-"

"For a reason," Brittany finished for her. "Yeah, I know. And you wouldn't have Bella if I hadn't left and she's so amazing and awesome and I know our lives are so much better now. We're strong individuals, but we still love everything about each other. We're better for each other now."

"You got it, babe." Santana shuffled across the couch and snuggled into Brittany's waiting arms.

"Hi!"

They both jumped at the sudden little person on top of Santana.

"Hey, baby," Santana chuckled. "You just get more ninja every day, don't you?"

"Totally," Bella said seriously. "It's cos I'm seven now. I got a level up."

"Clearly washing your face makes a big difference," Brittany mused from behind Santana. "Maybe I should try that."

"Baby, you shower every morning. It's the same thing."

Santana simply shook her head and cuddled her daughter to her before sitting up properly. She and Brittany were still somewhat intertwined with Brittany's arm around her shoulders, her finger toying with the exposed skin below Santana's neck. Her other hand was interlocked with her fiancée's and Santana's other hand supported her daughter, who was sitting on her lap.

"Ok, baby, so Britt and I have something we'd like to tell you."

"Is it a secret?" Bella whispered.

Santana simply winked at her daughter and the resulting smile mirrored her own.

"Did I miss something?" Brittany asked suspiciously.

"Nope, right, Bella?"

"Nope," Bella echoed. "And even if I did know something, I wouldn't be able to tell you."

"You watch too many lawyer shows," Santana teased.

Bella giggled and grabbed her mother's hand. "Tell me, tell me!" she chanted.

Santana glanced at Brittany, the look in her eyes giving her the go ahead.

"Um, ok. Little B, you know I love your mom, right?"

"Like super lots," Bella verified.

"Super, super lots. Well, we had a bad day yesterday, but after we sorted it out, I just realised that I didn't want to wait anymore. I wanted us to take the next step in our relationship." Brittany paused and Santana felt her shake herself a bit. "Sorry, I'm getting carried aw-"

"I understand," Bella said with a reassuring smile.

"You do?" Brittany asked in surprised.

"Yup. Carry on, Big B."

"Oh, um. Right, so I asked your mom to marry me," Brittany finished lamely.

"You said yes, right?" Bella demanded of her mother.

Santana chuckled. "Of course I did! What else would I have said?"

"Yay!" Bella squealed, jumping off Santana's lap onto Brittany, throwing her arms around the blonde's neck. "Mommy, do we-"

Santana held a finger to her lips and Bella caught it, nodding quickly in understanding.

"What are you two conspiring?" Brittany wondered, holding a hand out for Bella.

Mini-Santana high-fived her hard and grinned. "I'm gonna be the flower girl, right?"

"We haven't decided on any details yet, baby girl, but you can be whatever you want," Santana told her, leaning her head on Brittany's shoulder. Time with her two favourite girls was always precious to her.

"Where's your ring?" Bella asked, glancing down at their entwined hands.

"Oh, well, the proposal was kind of…unplanned, so we're going shopping today," Brittany said apologetically.

"Can I come?" Bella asked eagerly.

Santana glanced at Brittany and smiled. They'd agreed to go to school even though DC had told Santana to take it off. Essentially she'd been told to take the time to sort out her relationship with Brittany, but that was stronger than ever and all she needed was good, strong coffee to keep her awake. Brittany wouldn't need any help. She was a natural Energizer bunny and after the morning they'd had, she had plenty of energy to keep her going for several days.

"Hmmm, what do you think, fiancée?" Santana asked, pretending to contemplate.

"Well, I don't know, fiancée," Brittany replied, playing along. "I mean, this _is_ a pretty big deal, isn't it?"

"Please, please, please?" Bella begged, full pout and praying hands in use.

"Ok," Santana finally said.

"Yes!" Bella shouted, fist pumping.

"Ok, time to get ready," Brittany said, kissing Santana's cheek before scooping Bella up and dancing into the little Latina's bedroom.

Santana smiled. Life was actually fucking perfect.

* * *

"It's ok, babe," Santana murmured to Brittany. "I should take care of this. I was the one that lost my head yesterday."

They were standing outside DC's office and Brittany wanted to go in with her fiancée.

"San, we're together," she said simply. "Which means that I'll be by your side through anything. Even when you don't want me there."

Santana felt her heart strings contract. Her fiancée was amazing. And no, she'd never get tired of saying that word. Well…she would until that word became wife.

She smiled wider at that thought.

"Ok, love," she conceded, knocking three times on the door.

"Come in!" DC's voice was heard.

Santana turned the handle and walked in, followed closely by Brittany.

"Santana," DC said in surprise. "And Brittany. Well, I must say that this is a surprise. I told you to take the day off."

"I know you did," Santana replied. "But we sorted things out and I thought that I'd already done enough damage. The best thing was to come to school and try to placate the confusion." She paused. "Mr. DeCosta, I would like to apologise for my behaviour yesterday. I know that you're probably tired of hearing that come from me when it's regarding our relationship. I realise that my behaviour was completely unacceptable and highly unprofessional. I'd like to speak with the cast that saw my little meltdown and apologise personally. I don't believe anyone else was involved though, sir."

DC was quiet for a moment as he collected his thoughts. Santana's heart was pounding. Their boss had already taken a huge risk with them, and they didn't exactly have the best track record either.

"Apology accepted," he said finally. "Do you have rehearsal today?"

Santana shook her head. "Only three times a week. With finals coming up, we felt it was a little unfair to demand so much time of the students," she said quietly.

DC nodded. "I'll announce for them to meet in Brittany's dance studio at lunch. The drama club are using the auditorium for rehearsals during that time. Would that suffice?"

"Perfectly, sir," Santana said, internally sighing with relief.

He eyed the two women for a bit. "So, is everything all right between you two?" he asked.

Santana nodded and glanced at Brittany, who had a big smile on her face.

"We've never been stronger," she said honestly, a grin forming.

"Glad to hear it," DC replied. "Santana, I have to be honest. When we found you in your classroom, I…I've never seen someone so sad. So I guess I just wanted to say I'm _really_ glad to see that you two worked it out. Because I like to see my two best teachers happy!"

"Well, I don't know about that," Santana said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, the students do," DC replied. "Last week's favourite teacher poll in the _Griffin Hill Herald_ had you two tied as favourite teachers. Well, I suppose you two as a couple were first."

"Seriously?" Brittany asked in awe.

"Go past the _Herald_'s office. I'm sure there are still copies. New one only comes out next week."

"Thanks, DC. Uh, we should get ready. The bell's about to go," Santana said. "Thank you again. I really appreciate it."

DC simply nodded and shooed them away.

"We must have the best luck," Brittany murmured.

Santana flushed immediately, her memory triggering a similar conversation about a month ago.

"I know exactly where your mind went," Brittany teased. She leaned closer, still remaining professional to anyone observing. "But I gotta say that I definitely miss our lunch time good luck."

Santana flushed again.

"You're _so_ cute when you blush," Brittany whispered tenderly. "I'll see you at lunch?"

Santana nodded and glanced up to meet blue eyes filled with adoration. Brittany leaned in to quickly kiss her cheek. They'd been allowed that small concession by DC and they were happy not to take it any further. DC seemed to understand Santana's fiery passion about equality and double standards regarding PDA in hetero- and homosexual relationships.

"Bye, beautiful," Santana said softly, her gut pulling at the gorgeous smile that crossed her fiancée's face. "Love you."

"Love _you_, my sexy San," Brittany replied with a wink.

Santana giggled. Sexy San. God, she hadn't heard that in years. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl and didn't actually care because it felt _amazing_.

She started walking towards her classroom and heard someone calling her name. She turned around and smiled at Chloe walking quickly towards her.

"Hey, Chloe. Wha-"

"Ms. L, I need your help," Chloe cut her off desperately.

Santana looked at the young girl carefully, taking note of her red eyes. The one side of her face had a considerable amount more makeup than the other.

"Come on," Santana said, turning back towards her classroom.

Nothing was said until Santana closed the door behind her and looked at Chloe. The teenager threw her bag on the floor and slumped into a chair, dropping her head onto her hands and bursting into tears.

Santana immediately knelt next to her, resting a hand on her back.

"Take your time, Chloe," she said softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Chloe had actually been making quite a bit of progress with regards to her self-acceptance. Granted, she'd already acknowledged that she was gay, whereas Santana, back in high school, had refused to believe it. Chloe had been working hard on loving all of herself. She was embracing the performer within and, in Santana's opinion, was becoming the star of the musical. The role was made for her. Santana honestly couldn't have written it better. Her gamble had paid off. Chloe's confidence had gone up, she had made some new friends among the cast and her grades were even better than what they'd been before the winter break.

Chloe lifted her head and wiped her eyes messily, smudging the makeup she'd applied to left side of her face. Santana's mouth dropped in horror. All along the young girl's left cheek was a nasty purple bruise. It probably didn't look as bad as it could have been, but someone had struck Chloe through the face hard enough to leave a mark like that and Santana wasn't about to let that happen.

"Chloe," she breathed. "Who did this?"

The teenager seemed to realise that her tears had ruined her disguise and froze.

"Hey, hey, it's just me," Santana said quickly. "I'm not going to do or say anything unless you want me to, ok?"

Chloe visibly relaxed. Santana waited patiently.

"I…I told my parents," she eventually mumbled.

Santana's eyebrows shot up. She hadn't expected that. She hadn't even realised that Chloe was even thinking about it.

"I know it's sudden. I didn't plan to do it so soon, really. I wanted to wait until after finals. But we were watching something on TV last night and one of the characters was gay and my parents just went off, saying how wrong it was and how unnatural and how they would never be accepted and I just lost it. I asked them what they would do if I told them I was gay and they said that it would never happen because they raised me right and I would never do such an abhorrent thing." Chloe took a deep breath after saying everything so quickly. "So I told them that regardless of how they raised me, I am gay. I just…I'm so sick of pretending to be one person at school and another person at home." She was quiet for a bit, but Santana could tell she wasn't done. "Do you know that I told Ben and Hilary and Trevor? They said that I'm even more awesome. They accept me for who I am. And the way that makes me feel…I shouldn't have to beg that from my parents by pretending to be something I'm not. So I told them. My dad hit me and then they kicked me out."

Santana's eyes widened. "Where did you sleep last night?"

"I just stayed in a hotel," Chloe replied. "I have money. I…I kinda started making plans in case something like this happened."

"Ok," Santana said slowly. "So what exactly is the plan?"

"Well, I think I've got enough to stay the week, but I'm gonna have to get a job or something to keep staying there."

Santana's mind was working at a mile a minute.

"Chloe, I'd offer for you to come and stay with us, but I don't have the space and given our close relationship, I don't think it would go over well."

"But…everyone loves you and Ms. P," Chloe said, her voice small.

"I know, but…" Santana paused, choosing her words carefully. "Chloe, make no mistake, I am definitely going to help you. You have my word on that. But…Brittany and I…we're very different when we're at home and I treasure that so much. The three of us kind of live in a little bubble and-"

"I get it, Ms. L," Chloe interrupted. She sniffed and met Santana's concerned gaze.

"Chloe, I-"

"Ms. Lopez, seriously, I do get it," Chloe said and Santana could see the honesty in her eyes. "I'm not insulted or anything. I mean, sure, who wouldn't want to live with the two coolest teachers in school, but I guess I wasn't thinking properly. I just…I know that I can trust you. I assumed. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, don't apologise. I'm flattered, really. But, yeah. Wait!" she said suddenly. "I have the perfect idea. Come back here after school, ok? I may have some news for you then."

Chloe looked hopeful and it warmed Santana's heart. It was all she wanted, to help her students when they were trouble. Chloe had been in trouble before and had risen above it when given the opportunity. She wasn't about to turn her back on her now.

* * *

**A/N: I feel like my style changed a little…I dunno…you guys tell me? Too much cheese?**

**Some readers were wondering where Chloe was so I brought her back for y'all :)**

**Now, for something new because I've been reading some great fics – If I read a story or find an author that I really like, I'm gonna post it here cos I believe that the love needs to be shared :) And that's what this site is about, right? :) So, I found this author like two days ago and he (she?) is AMAZING. Love the style and pace of the stories – check out BeyondCanon :)**

**Review! :D **

**Chow for now,**

**-H**


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: You guys make me smile :) Thank you, once again, for all your support :)**

**Brittana are ENGAGED! :D I'm grinning like a fool just thinking about the possibilities…hehehe, I'm such a dork.**

**I do apologise for the abhorrent amount of time it has taken for me to update this. **_**Birthday Letters**_** is an epilogue away from completion so I should be able to update this every fortnight (if all goes according to plan). New job is keeping me quite busy, as is my promise to continue with my manuscript during the week. But, hockey season is done (although tennis season is beginning), so my sports commitments shouldn't interfere too much ;)**

**Anywaaaaaay :) Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 41**

Santana grinned widely as her friend walked up the steps of Griffin Hill gingerly. She had probably never seen Rachel Berry so jittery in her life. It was definitely an…interesting experience.

"Santana," she greeted, her voice still strong, but lacking the usual gusto.

"Hey, Rach. Thank you so much for coming."

The diva just looked terrified so Santana stepped closer and enfolded her in a hug.

"Trust me, ok?" she whispered in her ear as she felt Rachel cling to her. "This is an amazing thing that you're doing. And you're going to be the best person for it."

Rachel pulled away, that uncertainty still lingering in her eyes. It really unsettled Santana. In all the years she'd known Rachel Berry, she'd never seen such nervousness in her little friend.

Then again, she was undertaking a huge endeavour. It was definitely new territory for both her and Finn.

"So, you spoke to Finn?" Santana asked, turning so that they could make their way inside.

Rachel nodded, smiling for the first time since arriving at the school. "He was absolutely ecstatic about the idea. I never thought it would be something he'd agree to, if I'm completely honest."

"Yeah, I kinda figured he was gonna be the hard nut to crack instead of you," Santana chuckled.

"Santana…"

The Latina simply waited for her friend to find the words she needed. Rachel Berry struggling for words would normally be cause for her to let loose with her witty comments, but Rachel was doing her such a huge favour that she had no problem refraining.

"Hey!"

Santana glanced up and grinned at the sight of her fiancée walking towards them. They gave each other a quick peck on the lips in greeting and Brittany wrapped a squealing Rachel into a bear hug, her feet dangling.

"Brittany! Put me down this instant!" Rachel demanded, sounding very much like her usual self.

"Sorry, Rachel. You're so small that I can't help myself sometimes," Brittany teased.

Santana chuckled and linked her fingers with her fiancée's. Rachel looked down and arched her eyebrows.

"Is that wise?" she ventured, glancing around. "I mean, won't you get into trouble?"

Santana shook her head. "We're out to the school. We have to keep things PG, obviously, but that's not a problem." She looked affectionately at Brittany's gorgeous face, framed by her untidy hair – a result of dancing for hours on end. "We're entitled to hold hands and a few quick kisses."

"No making out, though," Brittany added with a pout.

Santana and Rachel both laughed.

"Babe, our making out inevitably leads to…"

"And I'm sure we can all fill in the blank without actually saying it," Rachel interjected quickly. "Santana, I must confess, I am really proud of you. You've come so far since high school."

The Latina grinned and squeezed Brittany's hand, her anticipation for their afternoon excursion growing exponentially. "Yeah, well, I'm lucky that Brittany found a way to love me enough to help me see what an idiot I was being."

Brittany simply smiled and kissed her temple. "I didn't have to find a way, San. I'd have waited forever for you."

"Ugh, you two are actually so sickeningly sweet, I feel a toothache coming on," Rachel teased.

"Did you honestly just make a joke at our expense, Hobbit?" Santana asked, faux stunned.

The diva just chuckled.

"Oh, you guys were talking about sex earlier!" Brittany suddenly exclaimed.

Rachel groaned and Santana just laughed. She kissed her cheek and continued walking towards her classroom. "You, my amazing love, are so perfect, it's ridiculous."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rachel asked, her nerves back in full force. She was leaning against Santana's desk and rubbing her hands against her skirt.

Santana glanced up from the stack of papers she was sorting through. "Rach, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't fully believe that you were the best person to do this. And you wouldn't have agreed of you thought you wouldn't do the best job either."

She felt eyes on her and saw Brittany smiling warmly at her. She sent her a wink and continued the redundant paperwork that she'd uncharacteristically let pile up over the last week or so.

A knock on her door caused her to immediately leave the papers and walk to let in an equally nervous-looking Chloe.

"Hey, Ms. L," she said in a quiet voice. "Is it cool that I'm here?"

Santana smiled. "Of course. Come in, Chloe. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

The teenager stepped inside and her eyes widened at the sight of Rachel now standing next to Santana's desk.

"Th…that's Rachel Berry!" she squeaked.

Santana wasn't sure who looked more shocked: her, Chloe or Rachel. Brittany, who was standing behind Rachel, nudged her forward with her foot. The small brunette sent an aggravated look to the blonde who just smiled, and stepped forward regardless.

"Hi," Rachel said, holding out her hand.

"Rachel Berry," Chloe whispered, her eyes wide. "Wow." She quickly took her hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"How do you know Rachel?" Santana asked.

"Honestly, Santana, if you ever accepted one of the numerous invitations that I've extended to you and Bella, you would be very aware of the fact that I happen to be quite famous on the Broadway scene."

Santana rolled her eyes and smirked. "I endure enough of your singing off the stage, Berry. Why would I torture myself with an _extra_ two hours of not only your cackling, but your never-ending monologues?" she teased.

She saw the horrified look on Chloe's face and laughed out loud.

"San."

The Latina immediately stopped laughing and looked sheepish at Brittany's reproachful look.

"Ah, come on, Britt! She knows I'm only kidding!" Santana said, pouting for emphasis.

"Stop that," Brittany warned, holding up a finger. "You're not allowed to be mean to Rachel. We're not in high school anymore."

"We totally became sort of friends towards the end of senior year, right?" Santana still couldn't believe how much she was begging for a smile from her fiancée. Brittany always had this hold over her. Sure, she loved it, but her friends all knew that the Santana Lopez from high school was pretty much gone. So what if she wanted to have a little reminder of what it was like to be her from time to time?

"Behave. And apologise," Brittany said sternly.

Santana sighed dramatically. "Fine. Rachel, you are a beautiful person. Your voice is totally amazing, even though it's not as good as mine and you are totally my bestest friend after Britt," she finished with a proud smile.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Santana, you are such a dork. I have no idea how Brittany has put up with you for over two decades."

"It's cos she loves me," Santana grinned, winking at her fiancée.

"Totally," Brittany replied with a matching grin.

Chloe cleared her throat and Santana immediately flushed, almost completely forgetting about the young girl and the reason why she was there. She missed hanging out with her friends, though. She and Brittany had definitely retreated into their bubble too much.

"Sorry, Chloe. As you can see, we all go way back."

"Yeah," Chloe replied, still a little overwhelmed. She focused on Rachel again. "I'm a really big fan, Ms. Berry. I've seen you in _Wicked_ so many times. And I absolutely loved _A Star In New York_."

Santana rolled her eyes at the mention of Rachel's really bad attempt at a stage show of her life. Ok, so the writing hadn't been great, but Rachel Berry playing herself? Santana had killed herself laughing.

"Oh, well, it's always a great pleasure to meet a fan," Rachel said, smiling warmly.

Santana caught even Brittany rolling her eyes at that and they shared a secret grin.

"Right, so the reason why you're here, Chloe, is that Rachel and her husband, Finn, have graciously agreed to let you stay with them until we can find something more permanent for you."

Chloe looked like she was about to faint.

"Would you be ok with that?" Rachel asked timidly.

The teenager simply nodded fervently.

Santana frowned in amusement. "Chloe, please understand that when you are under Rachel and Finn's roof, you will heed their word. We are going to need to tell your parents where you are as it's illegal for you to live with someone else whilst still under your parent's guardianship."

Chloe grit her teeth. "They wouldn't care, Ms. L. You didn't see their faces. They couldn't even bare to look at me. I disgusted them. All they were worried about was what people would think."

Santana's heart hurt at the familiar anger in Chloe's words. She looked down, shutting her eyes and willing one of the most painful memories in her life to stay buried. She felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her stomach from behind and hold her close.

"I'm here," Brittany whispered, placing a feather kiss on her neck.

"I think Santana knows what you're going through," Rachel said quietly.

Santana felt she had a hold on her emotions and lifted her head, opening her eyes. Chloe's face was apologetic.

"Ms. Lopez, I didn't…I mean, I wouldn't, I…I'm sorry," Chloe stammered.

"It's fine." Santana was relieved that her voice was normal. "We all have our difficult times." Brittany's arms tightened around her and she felt lips resting on her shoulder. It was incredibly soothing. "You need to talk to your parents, Chloe. If you'd like, I'll go with you. We..um…we also have to report that your dad hit you," she added quietly.

"What? But you said it would stay between us!" Chloe said in alarm.

"I know, and trust me, if I had the option, I would, but when a parent hits a student, I have a duty to report it. I'm bound by law. I could lose my job if I don't, Chloe."

She watched as a myriad of emotions crossed the teenager's face and finally settled on resignation. "Fine," she murmured. "Can I just…I need…"

"We can go tomorrow after rehearsal?" Santana suggested.

Chloe simply nodded, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Um, Chloe, right?" Rachel asked, stepping forward. "Santana, uh, Ms. Lopez, has apprised me of your situation. I hope that's all right?"

The teenager nodded again, her eyes still fixed on the ground and Santana frowned. This was a big thing. Why was Chloe being so sullen about it?

She felt Brittany's lips travel subtly up her neck and the whisper in her ear immediately calmed her, "Let Rachel handle it."

The diva stepped towards the troubled young girl and Santana watched as she gently touched her shoulder.

"Chloe, you realise that Ms. Lopez has done a lot for you here, right?" Her voice was gentle, the same voice she used with Bella. But strangely enough, it didn't come across as patronising.

"Yeah." Chloe's voice was soft.

"Don't you think that you should at least say thank you?" Rachel asked.

"I…I'm sorry," Chloe started spluttering again. "God, I'm messing this up. I'm sorry." She looked up at Santana, who kept her expression blank. "Ms. Lopez…seriously, thank you. You didn't have to do half of what you have and I'm so sorry if I'm coming across as ungrateful. I…" She took a deep breath. "You're like the most perfect person."

Santana scoffed and Brittany tapped her stomach warningly.

"No, what I mean is that I look up to you because you're exactly the kind of person that I want to be when I grow up."

_I'm hardly grown up._

_Wait, what did she just say?_

"What?" she eventually murmured.

"I wanna be like you when I grow up," Chloe said with a shrug. "You remember that short story I wrote last week and you told me that I should consider publishing it?"

Santana nodded.

"Well, I sent an email to a literary magazine, one that I actually read myself, and he replied yesterday that he wanted to publish my story in the next issue and ask if I'd be interested in writing something else."

Santana's mouth dropped open. "Chloe, that's…that's _amazing_!" Her face broke out into a huge smile. "Oh my God, I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"

Chloe grinned and Brittany released the Latina to give her student a hug.

"You don't need your parents to achieve great things, Chloe," she said softly. "All you need to do is believe in yourself."

"I know."

Santana smiled at the confidence shining from the young girl. A month ago, this same teenager was a nervous wreck, a loner without friends and in serious danger of throwing her life away.

"You're going to do so many amazing things with your life, I just know it," Santana said with certainty.

"Thanks to you," Chloe said shyly. "There's no way that I would be where I am right now if it weren't for you, Ms. L."

Santana felt herself blushing at the praise, but she grinned widely.

"We should get going," Rachel said tentatively. "Did you need her for anything else, Santana?"

The Latina shook her head.

"Great. We need to go back to the hotel you've been staying at to get all your things and then we'll go to the grocery store to stock up on cereal and things. I'm vegan and Finn normally has breakfast on his way to work."

"Um, ok. I have some money saved up, but I don't really eat all that much. And you won't even know I'm there, Mrs. Berry," Chloe insisted.

"Chloe, please, call me Rachel. And keep your money. You may need it when you find a pretty girl to take out on a date."

Santana chuckled and Chloe just went beet red. Rachel seemed to have the embarrassing mom thing down pat.

"Thanks again, Ms. L," Chloe mumbled, still trying to return her cheeks to their normal colour. "And Ms. P. You guys are beyond awesome."

"Which is why we needed to hand some off to you," Brittany teased. "Clearly it worked."

That elicited a smile from the teenager.

"Bye, Berry!" Santana sang, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Whatever, Lezpez," Rachel said with a rare smirk and walked out the door, followed closely by Chloe.

Santana's jaw dropped on the ground and Brittany burst out laughing.

Rachel Berry had actually called her a name. Like an _insulting_ name. And an original one too, at that!

"Huh," she muttered.

"Your _face_!" Brittany gasped, still laughing. "Oh my God, that was expensive."

"Priceless, babe," Santana automatically corrected.

"Whatever, it was awesome. Normally only I'm the one that can render you speechless."

Santana smiled at her fiancée. "Well, you definitely are talented in that area."

Brittany stood up straight and slid back to her. "Yeah? Which area would that be?"

"Me," Santana smirked.

"I may have to agree with you on that," the blonde murmured, leaning down for a kiss.

Santana sighed and allowed a few seconds of kissing before pulling away.

"More," Brittany pouted, trying to pull her closer.

"Baby," the Latina giggled. "We're still at school. Besides," she added, the hands around Brittany's neck playing with blonde hair, "we have somewhere to be, don't we?"

Her fiancée's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas and she smiled widely. "I'm going to take my fiancée ring shopping," she whispered happily.

"As am I," Santana replied, resting their foreheads together. She pecked Brittany's lips one last time before pulling away and gathering her bag. "Come on, B."

The dancer laced their fingers together and they walked out of the school, hands swinging between them.

* * *

"What about that one?"

Santana rolled her eyes and Brittany nudged her, giving her a look.

"Baby, it's a little too much, don't you think?" the Latina said, trying to be gentle, even though it was about the fiftieth ring Bella had said the exact same thing about and they had all been absolutely ghastly.

Brittany could tell that she was getting to that boiling point and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Honey, how about you go and grab yourself some coffee at the Starbucks we passed, hmm? Maybe a mocca will remind you why we're here."

She was being gentle with her tone, but she knew that Santana would understand that she was warning her.

Santana sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, maybe," she muttered. "This was supposed to be the easy part."

Brittany smiled and kissed her nose. "It is. You're just letting it be difficult."

"But it has to be _perfect_," Santana insisted. "B, your ring…it has to be-"

"Any ring you give me will be perfect," Brittany cut in. "You could grab one from the toy machine across the street and I'll still be the happiest girl in the world because _you_ gave it to me, Santana. I don't care about the price tag or how many diamonds it has or anything like that. I just care that it's coming from you."

She saw Santana's eyes soften and she smiled.

"Big B, what about this one?" Bella asked, pointing at a huge intricately designed diamond ring.

"Keep looking, Little B," Brittany said sweetly, kissing her dark hair. She pulled Santana close to her and nuzzled her cheek. "Go and get some coffee, babe. We'll be here when you get back, ok?"

Santana just nodded in her neck. "I seriously don't deserve you. You're too amazing for me."

"Guess it's bad luck that you're stuck with me, huh?" Brittany teased, grinning.

Santana just smiled back and kissed her fiancée sweetly.

"Bella, stay with Britt, ok?" Santana called as she walked away.

"K!" Bella called back, her face pressed up to the glass windows.

Brittany glanced back until her fiancée was out of sight before turning to the sales assistant.

"Hey, so I have a strange request. I saw a ring in this store about three years ago, but I can't seem to find it. If I describe it to you, would you be able to tell me if you still had it?"

* * *

Santana leaned against the wall outside the jewellery store as she sipped her coffee. She took a few minutes to herself and just let the caffeine seep through her veins.

Brittany always knew exactly what to do when she got flustered. It took a hell of a lot to get frustrated with her daughter, but the fear of not finding that perfect ring for Brittany was gnawing at her. She knew that her fiancée didn't care much about her ring (even though Santana knew that she was spending as much time looking for an equally perfect ring for her), but that didn't mean that she was just going to settle. She wanted to give Brittany the world. And in their world, her fiancée got the perfect ring.

"Santana Lopez?"

Her eyes flew open and her jaw dropped.

"Quinn?"

The former Cheerio gripped the shocked Latina into a friendly hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"Um, I live here," Santana replied. "I moved here after high school."

"Oh no, I knew that," Quinn said with a smile. "I meant _here_. You do realise you're standing outside a jewellery store, right?"

Santana couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face. "Yeah, I'm aware."

"Oh, well, she must be a lucky lady," Quinn said with a smirk.

Santana chuckled. "I'm definitely the lucky one."

"Do I know her?"

Santana frowned in confusion.

"Well, I heard from Rachel that you and Brittany broke up years ago," Quinn ventured, suddenly looking sheepish.

"We did," Santana began, but felt a mini-tornado run into her leg before she could continue.

"Mama, we found it! It's perfect!" Bella squealed.

"San, I'm sorry, she saw you and ran out before I could stop her," Brittany said hurriedly, freezing in her tracks when she saw who Santana was talking to. A huge smile broke onto her face and she engulfed Quinn in a bear hug. Santana felt Bella's arms go around her leg and she rested her hand on her daughter's head.

"Wow, Britt, some things definitely haven't changed," Quinn laughed after Brittany set her on the ground again. "You're still crazy strong."

Quinn's hazel eyes met Santana's and her gaze flickered down to Bella and back up to Santana. This time they were confused.

"It's a long story," Santana said with a resigned smile.

"But it has a happy ending," Brittany added, kissing Santana's cheek.

"Yeah." Santana blushed. "Quinn, this is Bella, my daughter. Baby girl, this is Quinn. We went to high school together."

Bella's eyes went wide. "So you know Rachel and Finn and Kurt and Blaine? Did you also sing with them?"

Quinn blinked in surprise, but smiled genuinely. "Yes and yes," she replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

Bella shook the outstretched hand then tugged at Brittany's leg. The blonde bent down to pick her up and she rested her head on the dancer's shoulder.

"What are you doing in New York?" Santana asked, smiling at her fiancée with her daughter.

"I've been living and working here for the last four years, actually," Quinn replied. "I kind of lost contact with Rachel during my senior year. Yale was crazy. I graduated with most of my sanity still in tact." She chuckled.

"The rest of it is lining the halls of McKinley," Santana teased.

Quinn laughed heartily. "Oh my God, I can't believe that out of all the people New York, I'd run into you two."

"Well, everything happens for a reason," Brittany said, linking her fingers with Santana's.

They shared a secret smile.

"Ok, I feel like there's a hell of a lot that has happened here and a street is hardly the time to catch up. How about you guys come over to my place for dinner tonight?"

Santana glanced at Brittany, who nodded.

"Sure, Q, that sounds awesome." She pulled out her phone. "What's your number?"

They exchanged details and agreed to meet up at seven at Quinn's apartment.

"Bye, guys!" Quinn called as she walked away.

"She's pretty," Bella commented from her position on Brittany's shoulder.

"But Britt's totally more pretty," Santana argued, winking at her fiancée.

The blonde blushed and simply squeezed her hand. "I have a surprise for you," she murmured, pulling her back towards the jewellery store.

"A surprise, huh?"

The blonde grinned. "Trust me?"

Santana's heart fluttered. "Always, B."

* * *

Best. Surprise. Ever.

She couldn't stop staring at her left ring finger. It was exquisite. It was perfect. And what was even better was that Brittany had the same one. They had matching engagement rings. How frigging awesome was that?

"Baby, it's not going anywhere," Brittany giggled from next to her on the couch.

"But it's so _perfect_," Santana mused for about the two hundredth time since her fiancée had shown her the rings that she'd apparently seen three years before and had never forgotten.

"You're perfect," Brittany whispered, leaning down to kiss the ring.

Santana leaned her head back against the couch and sighed. "God, I am so deliriously happy that I feel like I need to scream or something."

Brittany looked worried.

"Don't worry, B. Good kind of screaming," Santana assured her.

"Is this fine?"

Santana looked to the passage at a very exasperated Bella. She was wearing black leggings with an adorable white dress patterned with fiddles. Santana had no idea where it had come from. Then again, most of the clothes in Bella's closet were Kurt's doing.

"You look awesome, Little B," Brittany said with a smile.

Bella looked expectantly at her mother.

"I agree with Britt, baby girl. Then again, both of us have said the same thing about the last five outfits you've tried on."

Bella threw up her hands, turned on her heel and stormed off to her bedroom. Santana sighed and followed her. She knocked twice on her daughter's door and heard a grumbled _come in_.

She pushed open the door and her jaw dropped at her daughter's usually impeccably tidy room strewn with clothes everywhere.

"I was almost sure I saw my daughter come in here," she mused out loud. "Guess all these clothes ate her."

"Funny," a voice mumbled from the other side of the bed.

Santana walked around Bella's bed and found her daughter leaning against it, her head down.

"Baby girl, what's going on?" she asked softly, sitting down next to her.

Bella was wringing her hands and Santana automatically covered them with one of her own. Her daughter sighed and crawled into her mother's lap. This was how they had all their talks so Santana was ready for her.

The Latina searched Bella's face, frowning when she saw the unfamiliar expression of nervousness.

"Bella, you know I love you," she began uncertainly.

She nodded.

"What are you nervous about?"

Bella finally looked up. "It's silly. But I can't forget it. I don't want to think like this."

"What's troubling you, baby girl?"

"You and Britt are engaged and then you'll be married and then she'll be my mom and we'll be a family and then you're gonna want another baby and you're gonna forget me."

Santana blinked rapidly. She felt like the next five years of her life had been laid before her by her seven-year-old daughter.

"Bella, honey, what on _earth_ makes you think I'm going to forget you? That's absolutely and completely impossible. I'm your mom. There is no way I could ever, _ever_ forget you."

"But…Jamie said that her parents had a new baby and now they don't even talk to her anymore. They still talk to her older brother, but they ignore her. She's so sad all the time."

The sadness on her own daughter's face broke Santana's heart. She pulled her closer.

"Bella, baby, I want you to listen to me very carefully, ok?"

She got a small nod in response.

"Brittany and I are going to get married, yes. And we are going to be a family. But a new baby is something that's still going to be a while. We want to be a family with the three of us first. We want to make one hundred percent sure that when we want to expand our family, that we're ready. Does that make sense?"

"So you won't forget me?"

"Never ever," Santana said, holding up a pinkie. "You're going to be the best big sister there ever was, Bella. I have no doubt about that."

A genuine smile crossed her daughter's face as she gripped the waiting with her own. It made Santana smile back. "So, today, were you trying to make sure you had our attention all the time?" she asked, playing with the sleeve of Bella's dress.

Bella looked sheepish.

"And dressing up?"

She blushed.

"Baby," Santana cooed, pulling her in for a hug. "Remember that Britt and I can't read your mind. If something's bothering you, you need to tell us, ok? I don't like it when you worry about things and you don't want to talk to us about it."

"I'm sorry, Mama," Bella said into her shoulder. "I was scared."

"Don't worry, baby. I know all about being scared. But what really helped was knowing that there was always someone there who would protect me, especially when I was scared. And baby, that's what Britt and I are here for. It's something we'll _always_ be here for."

She felt Bella nod into her neck and she rubbed small circles on her back soothingly. They stayed like that for a while until Santana could feel that her daughter was relaxed again.

"I really like what you're wearing, Bella. How about we find some shoes and then we can go to dinner with Quinn?" she suggested.

Her daughter pulled away and smiled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along the ground towards her closet. They finally settled on a pair of white ballet flats to go with her dress and pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail.

"Can I take Nemo with me?" Bella asked.

"If you want to, baby," Santana said with a confused look. "You've never taken toys to dinner before, though."

"But she's new."

"Um, I guess. Sure."

Bella grabbed the orange fish and took her mother's waiting hand before walking back to the lounge. Brittany was watching something on TV, but turned it off when she saw them coming. She and Santana had a quick silent conversation and the latter squeezed her fiancée's hand with a smile.

"Let's go, girls."

The cab ride was quick. Quinn didn't actually stay very far from Santana and Brittany. It was weird to think how close they'd all been for so long. The Latina leaned her head against the back of the cab and thought back to how many times she must have missed Brittany before they'd seen each other properly in the elevator. But how could she have ever missed her if they'd passed each other? She was automatically drawn to the blonde. She always had been. It was uncontrollable.

"So deep in thought, my love?" Brittany asked, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

Santana rolled her head and smiled at her fiancée. "Just musing about how two people can meet in a city with over eight million people."

"Fate." Brittany's simple response brought a happy smile to Santana's face and she trailed a finger across her jaw.

"Fate likes us," she murmured.

"Hmmm. That's cos we're meant to be."

Santana continued to smile and leaned in for a soft kiss.

"Love you," she whispered after pulling away.

"Love you more," Brittany whispered back.

They arrived at Quinn's apartment building and took the stairs up to the first floor. Brittany lifted Bella so that she could ring the bell and Santana chuckled at her daughter's eagerness, thankful that she seemed to be back to her usual bubbly self.

The door opened and Quinn smiled at them.

"Come in!" She ushered the in. She took their jackets and hung them up before leading them into the spacious living room.

Santana wasn't surprised. She was Quinn Fabray. She would've made sure that she got what she wanted.

"I apologise for me running around like this," Quinn called as she hurried back into the open plan kitchen. "Santana, Brittany, please help yourselves to some wine. I have some apple or orange juice in the fridge for Bella if she'd like?"

"Why can't I have wine?" Bella asked with a pout.

"Nice try, baby girl. When you're old enough to regret the mistakes that drinking wine can cause, then we'll talk," Santana replied with an arched eyebrow. "Apple juice?"

Bella nodded with a smile.

Santana joined Quinn in the kitchen. The blonde handed her a cup and she poured some juice into it.

"Bella, _jugo_!" Santana called.

Her daughter came bounding into the kitchen and Santana picked her up to sit on the counter. Brittany walked in with two glasses of wine and Santana accepted hers with a thank you kiss.

"You guys are too adorable," Quinn cooed, stirring the delicious smelling stew that was cooking.

"They do it _all_ the time," Bella said with only a hint of frustration.

Santana grinned. Her daughter had definitely accepted her and Brittany frequently being joined at the lips, even if she did tease them about it relentlessly, especially when they were in company.

"So, when's the wedding?" Quinn asked.

"No idea," Santana replied. "We've only been engaged for-"

"Fourteen hours and twenty-seven minutes," Brittany jumped in with a smile.

"Aw, baby, you're so cute," Santana said with a grin, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Ugh, you were right, Bella," Quinn said with an exaggerated eye roll.

"It's totally gross," Bella agreed with a smile.

Santana and Brittany just laughed and the blonde stood behind her fiancée, wrapping her in her arms. Santana loved it. It made her feel so incredible safe and secure. Nothing could ever go wrong when she was in Brittany's arms.

"Babe, have you seen that green shirt of mine?" a deep voice called from down the passage.

"Check on top of your closet, moron!" Quinn called back in a teasing tone.

"Fabray, you've been holding out on us," Santana said with a grin. "Who's the stud?" Brittany poked her. "Ow! I'm just curious, baby. You know there's no one else for me but you."

Quinn chuckled as Santana and Brittany locked lips yet again.

"Nice to see some things haven't changed."

All four occupants of the kitchen looked up as the owner of the deep voice entered.

"No effing way," Santana breathed.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to Drew55 for the legal help ;)**

**So I totally wasn't planning on introducing Quinn in this story at all, but hey, I relinquished control of this fic a while ago ;p**

**How many of you thought of Rachel as a caregiver for Chloe? Lol, dunno why I did…**

**A few fics that I'm following religiously: **_**Been There All Along **_**(it's all about the journey), **_**Memento Vitae **_**(and anything else by the amazing 0atis), and also anything by bobbieyoung. These people are all amazeballs! :D**

**Also, check out heyabrittanaxo – the glorious creative mind behind the poster for **_**A Different Life**_** :)**

**Their engagement rings are a simple design: silver bands with a small diamond. The bands wrapped around the top and bottom of the diamond. One of my favourite designs :)**

**Would love to hear your thoughts…**

**-H**


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: Hey, hey, hey :)**

**I know it's been two weeks and I'm super sorry, but with work and my manuscript, I really can only write on weekends…maybe if I persevere, I can push out an update for this and **_**Role Reversal**_** tonight…maybe.**

**Seems like the top 3 choices for Quinn's mystery man were Sam, Puck and Joe. Someone suggested Artie (ew), someone else suggested Bella's dad (double ew – he will NOT make any appearance in this story), and the crème de la crème…**_**Santana's**_** dad. Like wtf? Lol :) Maybe they meant Bella's dad?**

**Some of you have professed a desire for me to get back to the musical. You wish is my command! :)**

**And OMG Glee's back! And it was awesome with warm fuzzies :D And Britney 2.0 next week – BEYOND amped for that ep :D**

**Ok, enough flailing fangirling.**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :( (If I did, Brittany and Santana would be in New York together, making sweet lady love all season long…Oh wait…didn't I do that here? ;p)**

**CHAPTER 42**

"No love for one of your oldest, dearest friends?"

Santana grinned and jumped into his waiting arms. He swung her around before setting her down. Brittany's greeting was a little more demure. Then again, his history with Santana was a lot more intricate than hers.

"How are my favourite lesbians?"

"Jesus, some things don't change," Santana said, huffing with a smile on her face.

"Language, both of you," Quinn reprimanded. "Underage ears are present."

"I'm seven!" Bella said hopefully, as though it would get her a free pass.

"Only just," Santana teased, picking her daughter up.

"I'm still seven."

"San, you should really stop trying to win arguments with her," Brittany said with a smile.

The Latina just rolled her eyes. "Bella, this is a very good friend of ours from high school."

"Another one?" Bella asked in awe.

"Yeah, how is it that we all ended up in New York in really close proximity to each other?" Quinn mused.

"Fate," Santana and Brittany said at the same time, immediately looking at each other with goofy smiles.

"Wow, Britt, you've completely tamed the wild beast. I'm impressed."

Santana rolled her eyes. "_Anyway_, Bella, meet Noah Puckerman. We call him Puck."

"Puck," Bella said, tilting her head. "Like in Shakespeare, right?"

"Actually, I kinda just go by Noah now," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning.

"I like Puck," Bella pouted.

"Oh wow. That's like a mirror image," Noah laughed.

"I told you!" Quinn said with a laugh.

"Ok, wait. Hold up. Bella, you're acquainted with Puck. And yes, she gets to call you Puck cos my baby girl gets anything she wants."

Noah laughed. "Step back, Lopez. Your munchkin can call me whatever she wants."

"Munchkin?" Santana and Bella asked with matching glares.

"Careful there, Noah," Brittany said in a lilting voice. "The wild beast sometimes likes to come out and play."

Santana flushed and glanced at her fiancée, who suddenly realised what she'd said. Her hand covered her mouth as she giggled slightly.

"Ok, I don't need to know what happens when you two-"

"Noah!" Quinn, Santana and Brittany all squealed.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Old habits die hard."

"Clearly." Santana hardly wanted her precocious daughter picking up on Puckerman's bad habits.

Suddenly, a sound echoed through the apartment and Santana turned to Brittany and stared in wonderment.

_Was that...? _the blonde mouthed.

Santana simply nodded.

Noah excused himself and jogged into another room.

"What was that, Quinn?" Bella asked eagerly.

Trust her daughter to break the ice. Santana smiled.

Quinn Fabray, bitch extraordinaire, one to rival even the _biggest_ bitch when they'd been at McKinley, all round confident top dog, was blushing furiously and avoiding the curious and expectant stares of her two fellow ex-cheerleaders.

"Mama, did she lose her tongue?" Bella whispered loudly.

"Not sure, baby girl," Santana stage whispered back. "Maybe she's shy."

She got a loud scoff from Quinn at that.

"Come on, Quinnie," the brunette teased. "You know it's rude to ignore someone's question."

The former Head Cheerio's shoulders slumped in defeat and she turned away from the stove, taking Brittany's wine glass and guzzling a healthy amount.

"Easy there, Preggers," Santana warned, raising an eyebrow.

"What's that?" Bella asked innocently.

Santana pursed her lips. She and Bella had no secrets, but was it really ok for her to spill _Quinn's_ secret? Well, it wasn't so much of a secret.

"Quinnie, you know you don't need to be scared to tell us," Brittany said softly, stepping closer to the other blonde and wrapping an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"You're right," Quinn said, blinking suddenly. "Oh my God, I can't believe how I'm freaking out. It's _you_." She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Santana said, joining Quinn on the other side. She slipped her arms through her friend's and squeezed her hand. "We're the Unholy Trinity and that's a bond that will never break, no matter how long we don't see each other for."

Santana met Brittany's eyes and smiled warmly. She knew that they were both thinking of their bonding time in the very same city back when they were still juniors and were gearing up for Nationals.

"I've missed you girls," Quinn said quietly, leaning her head against Santana's.

"Anybody miss me?" Noah asked, walking into the kitchen.

Brittany and Bella both squealed in delight at the bundle in his arms.

"Easy, ladies," Noah warned. "I just managed to get him to sleep. If you wake him, I will be less than pleased."

Brittany picked Bella up, who was almost humming with excitement and stood next to a very proud-looking Noah. Santana kept her arm linked with Quinn as they watched their families.

"We've been together for four years," Quinn murmured. "I honestly never thought that I could be so happy. And I certainly never expected that it would be with Noah. But LA changed him. He grew up."

"We all do at some point," Santana replied quietly, her heart rushing as she watched her fiancée coo gently at the little person in Noah's arms.

"When I fell pregnant, I didn't expect us to be so happy about it," Quinn continued. "And it really has been an amazing journey."

"I know the feeling," Santana replied, watching her daughter fondly. "They become your whole world and you find yourself totally ok with it."

"What happened?"

Santana sighed. "I was a mess. I drank too much and woke up the next morning in a place I didn't know. I never even saw his face."

"And Britt? Was she-"

"We weren't together," Santana cut in shortly, frowning at the horrible time she'd been through without her love by her side. "We actually only got back together a little over a month ago. But we've been working at the same school since October."

"And you're engaged already?" Quinn was surprised.

"Yeah," Santana said with a big smiled, looking down at her ring. "We were tired of waiting. We found each other again and we're not letting go this time."

She felt Quinn's arms go around her. "I'm so happy for you, Santana. You deserve this kind of happiness."

"Mama, come look!" Bella whispered excitedly, gesturing with her hands.

Santana grinned and Quinn released her. The Latina walked towards her family and Brittany slipped her arm around her waist.

"Hey, little guy," she murmured, stroking the soft cheek of the sleeping toddler. "Quinn, Noah, he's absolutely perfect. What's his name?"

"Max," Noah said proudly. "I picked it out."

"I like that name," Bella whispered. "Mama, what's my baby brother's name gonna be?"

Santana blanched. Not an hour before, she'd been petrified of being forgotten and now she was beyond excited. Brittany's arm tightened around her waist.

"What makes you think you're getting a brother, _mija_?" Santana teased instead. "Don't you want a baby sister?"

Bella shrugged. "It doesn't matter cos I'm gonna be the bestest big sister ever, right, Mama?"

"Totally," Santana said happily, nuzzling her daughter's cheek.

"Expanding the chicken coop already?" Noah chuckled.

"Not right now," Brittany murmured, kissing Santana's forehead. "But it's definitely on the cards."

Santana laced her fingers with Brittany's on her waist and leaned into her. She heard the sound of a camera and saw Quinn looking at her phone with a smile.

"You know we charge for those, right?" she said, trying to be serious.

"Uh huh. Sure, Lopez. I'm keeping this one to prove that life definitely gets better after high school."

"I can absolutely agree with that," Brittany whispered in her ear, sending shivers down Santana's spine.

"It's only gonna get better," she murmured back.

* * *

Once they'd finished a hearty dinner – Quinn sure could cook – the adults all curled up on the couches as they watched Bella play with Max on the floor.

"I can't believe how big he is for eighteen months!" Santana remarked. "Bella was always so tiny."

"But I have the biggest heart," Bella chimed from the floor.

"Absolutely, Little B," Brittany confirmed.

Santana snuggled into Brittany's neck as they watched Bella introduce Nemo to Max. The little boy immediately latched onto the fur and pulled it into his mouth.

"Trust me, Max, you don't wanna eat Nemo," Bella said seriously. "Raw fish is yucky."

Max smiled in response.

"She's amazing," Quinn said from the other couch. "You did such a great job, Santana."

The Latina blushed and Brittany squeezed her tighter, kissing her head. "See? I'm not completely biased."

"Well, you kinda are. But she is pretty amazing."

"Because you raised her. And you're the best kind of amazing," Brittany whispered.

"Round two is going to be awesome," Santana murmured, taking a sip of her wine.

"I can't wait." Brittany's embrace was warm and enticing.

"Me neither, babe."

"I think I'd like another girl," Brittany whispered. "I like the idea of a family of girls."

"Anything you want, babe. I'm definitely not against the idea of a mini-you."

Brittany giggled. "So we can have a mini-me and a mini-you and a grown up me and you."

Santana chuckled. "Sounds perfect, B."

* * *

The next day at school flew by. Santana found herself immersed in doing revision with all of her classes. Before she knew it, the day was over and she was heading to the auditorium for rehearsal.

She smiled and hummed the number Brittany had been working on with them at their Monday rehearsal. The musical was progressing nicely. They only had two major group numbers to choreograph and refine before they could start doing lengthy run throughs and dress rehearsals.

"Good afternoon, my little starlets!" she called as she walked down the steps.

A chorus of hellos came back and she smiled. She loved how they felt like a little family, like how Glee had felt at McKinley.

Not for the first time, it got Santana seriously considering starting a glee club at Griffin Hill.

"Ok, guys. We're going to run through the gym performance twice or thrice and then I've got Trevor, Ben and Chloe for individual performances. Any questions?"

Santana glanced up at the cast sitting on the stage.

"Just one," Hilary said with a grin.

"Which is?" Santana prompted.

"When's the wedding?" The entire cast was grinning.

Santana rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face simply grew. "Don't worry, guys. I'll make sure my wedding doesn't overshadow the grand opening of Griffin Hill's first musical," she said dryly. She walked onto the stage and dropped her bag on the side. "Ok, so-"

She was cut off by numerous bodies surrounding her. She laughed and hugged as many of the students back as she could.

"It's a Santana mob!" Brittany laughed dramatically as she climbed onto the stage.

The students stepped away from Santana and immediately rushed to Brittany, who started running across the stage. After a few minutes of having fun and several hundred congratulations, Santana and Brittany had been persuaded to sing a duet and they'd eventually agreed with the promise that they were going to continue with rehearsals directly afterwards.

"_Me Against The Music_?" Santana suggested.

Brittany nodded and smiled. "Let's keep it a little more PG this time, though."

Santana chuckled and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "My love, it's very difficult for me to control myself when I see you dancing. Especially when you do Britney."

"Not fair," her fiancée mumbled. "It was a dream. Not my fault."

Santana laughed and went to find the right song on the iHome as the cast filled up the two front rows, watching eagerly. The music echoed around the auditorium and Santana felt like she was transported back into that dentist's chair. They moved effortlessly together and sounded amazing. The applause was overwhelming as they took a bow.

"All right, you lot. Let's get back to work," Santana announced, clapping her hands.

Brittany kissed her cheek and set up for the group number. Santana moved to where Chloe was sitting in the front row. She wasn't involved in this particular group number because, according to the script, she'd had a fight with the whole Glee Club and was on a time out.

"Hey," Santana greeted, sitting down. "How are you?"

Chloe smiled and nodded. "I'm good, Ms. L. You?"

"Spectacular."

"I can only imagine." The teenager's voice was wistful. "Can I be honest?"

"Always."

"I'm a little jealous. Of you and Ms. P. You guys look so happy and you're getting _married_. That's just...that's so cool."

Santana smiled. "I have no doubt that one day I'll be attending your wedding. There's someone out there for everyone. Yeah, I was ridiculously lucky and found my soul mate when I was six and I know that's rare. But you will find that one person that you can't wait to fall asleep with and wake up next to. It'll happen, Chloe."

"Yeah. At least I'm not completely terrified of liking girls anymore," she joked, although Santana could still see the worry in her eyes.

"We're going to see your dad after rehearsal, right?"

Chloe nodded. "As much as I'm dreading it, I know it needs to be done." She looked down. "Thanks for doing this with me, Ms. L," she mumbled.

"Of course," Santana replied easily. "I'm happy to be in your corner. You haven't done anything wrong."

Chloe smiled and they both turned to the stage as the music began. Santana's eyes automatically followed Brittany – she couldn't keep them off her even if she tried. It was like magnetism, which meant it was scientific. Which meant it was totally out of her control.

_Nice one, Lopez._

The Latina grinned at her genius reasoning and stared unabashedly as Brittany glided through the routine like her body was preprogrammed. Well, she guessed it probably was.

"Nicely done, guys!" Brittany called across the stage. "Ok, you're on your own for this one. I want you guys to really sell it."

The music started again and Brittany jumped off stage, coming to sit next to Santana, her eyes glued to her dancers. The Latina smiled as everyone on stage completely rocked the performance.

"Well done, guys!" Santana said, standing up when they were done. "Trevor and Ben, do yo think you guys are up to singing as the dancing happens? I know we haven't practised that, but think you could give it a try?"

Ben and Trevor grinned and nodded. Santana stayed standing as she watched the boys perform a slightly altered rendition of _The Boy Is Mine._ Instead, it was now _The Girl Is Mine_. Their characters were fighting over Hilary. Brittany's choreography matched the lyrics so perfectly and she found herself bobbing her head and tapping her feet as they rounded up the song.

Hilary played the coy cheerleader very well, teasing both boys just enough. When the last note played, everyone on stage clapped loudly for Ben and Trevor.

"I reckon this musical might just be a hit," Brittany murmured in her ear.

"Only just realising that, babe?" Santana replied with a smirk. "With you and me running the show, this was _always_ going to be a hit."

* * *

Chloe stepped onto stage and sat down cross-legged in the centre. Santana joined her, sitting opposite with her back facing the chairs.

"You ready?" she asked.

The teenager nodded and Santana clicked the remote that they'd found hiding in the piano. The familiar sound of Adele's _Cold Shoulder_ filtered across the stage and Chloe closed her eyes. Santana nodded slightly to the beat, glancing down at the sheet music.

_You say it's all in my head  
And the things I think just don't make sense  
So where you been then? Don't go all coy  
Don't turn it round on me like it's my fault  
See I can see that look in your eyes  
The one that shoots me each and every time_

_You grace me with your cold shoulder  
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her  
You shower me with words made of knives  
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her._

Chloe closed her eyes and Santana's brow furrowed at the sight of a small tear running down her cheek. Her heart hurt a little bit as the familiar look of pain crossed the teenager's face. The Latina was once again transported back to her high school days where she'd just discovered she was about to be outed. Ironically enough, she'd also been singing Adele. As much as it had hurt and as terrified as she'd been, the music always helped her understand it a bit better. And now she was understanding Chloe a little better.

Chloe's voice carried out across the stage and the emotion that the young girl evoked in every lyric was just incredible. Her voice shook a bit as she hit the chorus for the second time, but she's evened out again by the second line, the raw power of her voice clear.

Santana was in awe. Chloe was the greatest original talent that she had ever heard. And she'd spent half her life with Rachel Berry. This teenager had everything. She had the whole package. She had the makings of a superstar.

"Wow," Santana breathed when the melody finished. "Seriously, Chloe. Just...wow."

She got a shrug in return.

"Do I need to ask who you were singing about?" Santana ventured.

"I guess not. It sounds like you already do."

Santana sighed. "Come on. Let's do this."

* * *

Wow. Chloe's parents were seriously well off. Why did Chloe need a scholarship? It was clear her parents could afford to send her to Griffin Hill without a problem. And probably donate a library.

Chloe was cracking her knuckles.

"Hey, Miss Writer. You may wanna stop that if you want to continue using those fingers to produce the amazing stories you're gonna create."

That got a blush and Santana congratulated herself. Her phone went off in her pocket and she pulled it out, a smile crossing her face. It was from Brittany.

_Keep your head, San. As hard as it sounds, you're just her teacher. You're an awesome teacher, but you gotta be careful about what you say. I believe in you and I love you super lots. xxx_

Santana quickly typed a reply.

_I love how well you know me. I promise I'm going to do my best to keep my emotions in check. I kinda wish you were with me. Just being around you calms me down. Love you so much, baby._

The elevator opened and they stepped inside. Santana wasn't that surprised when she pressed the button for the penthouse. The ride up was quiet and the Latina could feel the tension rolling off Chloe in waves.

"Chloe, all you can do is be honest with them," Santana said quietly. "They need to understand that this is not simply a phase and that you're not going to ignore who you are. It'll be tempting to give in to them, but you need to stay true." She swallowed. "Denying the truth will only hurt you in the long run."

Chloe simply nodded and set her jaw as the door opened.

_Here we go_.

Santana didn't allow herself to be awed by the sheer size of the penthouse apartment or the lavish decor, instead followed Chloe as she walked through two dining rooms, a living room and finally came to what seemed to be a study. It looked more like a library to Santana.

"Hi, Dad," Chloe announced suddenly, her voice echoing off the tiles.

Santana saw a man sitting in a leather high-back armchair.

"Chloe. What are you doing here?"

The Latina almost cringed at the disdain in Mr. Stemmet's voice.

_Stay strong. Don't let the memories take over. Stay strong._

The voice in her head took on the melodic tone belonging to her fiancée and Santana immediately felt herself relax a little.

"I need to talk to you and Mom." Santana was proud of the strength in Chloe's voice.

"Who's this?" Mr. Stemmet asked, indicating Santana with a flick of his head.

"Hi, Mr. Stemmet. My name is Santana Lopez. I'm Chloe's English teacher. I'm also the director of the musical that she's in." Santana stepped forward and held out her hand.

Mr. Stemmet looked at her hand and then at her, not moving. "So you're the one that's probably been filling her head with all this nonsense, then?"

Santana felt her blood start to boil and she listened very closely to Brittany's voice in her head.

"If you're referring to your daughter's musical ability, I have to say that I have simply been guiding her to hone her natural talent. Your daughter is incredibly gifted, Mr. Stemmet. You should be proud."

"Proud?" he spat, standing up. Santana took a step back, but held her stance. "How am I supposed to be proud of the abomination she claims to be? It's abhorrent, it's despicable and it's wrong. No daughter of mine is..._that_."

_Easy, San. Deep breaths. This isn't your fight._

"With all due respect, sir, your daughter has incredible potential to be a singer, a writer, anything she wishes. Just because-"

"Mrs. Lopez, was it?"

"Ms. Lopez, actually."

"I see you're engaged then?"

"I am."

"Does your fiancé know that you support such sins? Does he not think that it's a sin against nature, against God's will?"

"Well, Mr. Stemmet, I can definitely assure you that _she_ doesn't feel that way," Santana said evenly.

"Ha! I knew it," he seethed. "You're simply another heathen, trying to corrupt my daughter and make her think that these feelings are ok."

"Don't call her that," Chloe snapped, stepping forward. "She accepts me, Dad, which is more than I can say for you."

Mr. Stemmet laughed coldly. "Accepts you? I doubt that. She probably feels sorry for you. I bet you've been staying with her, haven't you? Honestly, Chloe, I never pegged you to be such a little slut."

_Oh, hell no._

"Excuse me, Mr. Stemmet. While I respect that you have your beliefs and opinions, Chloe is entitled to be the person she believes herself to be. Badgering her and swearing at her is not the best way to approach this."

"Don't you dare tell me how to raise my daughter!" he yelled. "You don't have any children of your own! Don't presume to even _imagine_ what it's like to have your daughter disrespect you so much."

"For your information, _Mr. Stemmet_," Santana said through gritted teeth. "I do have a daughter. A beautiful, open, happy and loving seven-year-old who respects my relationship with my fiancée greatly. I do not appreciate you attacking my credence as a mother. Say what you want about me as a lesbian, as a teacher, but I will not stand for you attacking my ability as a mother."

"What kind of mother could you be?" Mr. Stemmet snarled, curling his lip in disgust.

_Motherfucker. He's dead. I gave him fair warning. I'm about to go _all_ Lima-_

_San. Calm down. He's not worth it. You're going to make things worse for Chloe._

Santana was so angry that she feel her body temperature simmering, but Brittany's soothing voice in her head caused her to unclench her fists and take a deep breath.

"She's a great mother to Bella!" Chloe suddenly yelled. "You have _no _idea how jealous I am of that little girl. She's showered by so much love that it makes my heart hurt to know that I have _never_ experienced that from you or Mom! I would have given anything to have lived with Ms. Lopez and Ms. Pierce, but she didn't think it would be a good idea-"

"I wonder why," Mr. Stemmet cut in sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Chloe said angrily. "I'm not done. She didn't think it would be a good idea purely because she's already done so much for me and it would come across as unprofessional. But she didn't stop helping me and supporting me. I stayed at one of her friends last night and in one night I felt more welcome in someone's home that I _ever_ felt here. The reason that I came here, _Dad_, was to tell you that I'm going to be living with Rachel and Finn because they accept me for who I am. Because this _is_ who I am. No amount of hate that you spew is going to change that. I don't care what you think anymore." She laughed suddenly. "Oh my God. I just realised that it doesn't matter what you say or what you think because I'm happy with who I am. I've never been happier than I am right now. My entire life you've tried to force me into this little box, trying to be more like Bianca. Well, you know what? I'm bursting out of the box and I'm painting it all the colours of the fucking pride flag."

Chloe was breathing hard and Santana resisted the urge to clap. She was feeling an incredible amount of pride at that moment and didn't want to trivialise it with a cliché. But _fuck_. Chloe knocked it out of the park. Her father kind of looked like a fish, his mouth opening and closing in shock.

Santana caught Chloe's eye and gave her a congratulatory wink. The confident smile on her student's face simply increased that feeling of pride.

"Oh, Mr. Stemmet, I must just add to your daughter's excellent speech and say that we will be reporting that you hit her. I, for one, hope that you get your just desserts for _ever_ raising your hand to your daughter."

"You...you can't do that! She's my daughter! I will discipline her in the way I see fit!" Mr. Stemmet roared, finally finding his voice.

"Perhaps," Santana replied. "But when your daughter comes to school with a bruised face, it becomes _my_ responsibility. And that means that I will do whatever it takes to make abusive fathers pay for hitting their children."

"I'll just deny it."

Santana shrugged. "You could do that. Regardless, the entire school will know that you hit your daughter. You know why? Because everyone has seen the bruise you left on her face."

Ok, so that wasn't technically true, but the students in the musical knew that Chloe had been hit. And they were pissed.

"Ms. L, I'm done with him," Chloe said with finality. "Let him do what he thinks he can. I just wanna get my stuff and get the hell out of here. If I ever come back, it'll be too soon."

"An excellent idea, Chloe. Do you need some help?"

"Sure," Chloe said with a smile.

They walked out of Mr. Stemmet's office, chatting away as though the man wasn't even there. Well, as far as they were concerned, he wasn't.

* * *

**A/N: So this wasn't the easiest chapter to write because I feel very strongly about blatant, ignorant homophobia.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes I may have missed during my edit – I'm posting this at work and the operating system is different from the one I use at home...**

**In my little fic corner this week, I recommend **_**Freaking Super **_**and **_**When Running Away**_**. Both are in my favourites. Awesome stories :) Any favourites you want to recommend, let me know! :)**

**-H**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: So most of you weren't that surprised that Puck was the mystery guy. I didn't expect you to be, really ;)**

**Much love for Chloe! Yay :) That makes me super happy. She totally kicked ass in her speech :)**

**Guys, you should know by now...this is a long journey :) The wedding, the new baby...it's gonna be a while...I remember somebody told em in a review ages ago that they wanted this story to hit 60 chapters...Well, I dunno about you guys, but I'm keen ;p I definitely have material...**

**BRITNEY 2.0! Holy shit. I kinda wanna kick Santana's ass and then kiss it better ;p**

**More musical and some Glee night!**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee (cos we know what would happen if I did ;p)**

**CHAPTER 43**

"Ok, guys! And 5, 6, 7, 8!"

Hilary and Trevor settled into their performance and Santana nodded her head to the music. She'd always wished they'd done _Grease_ when she was in high school. _West Side Story_ had been fun, but come on – a musical about fluid sexual encounters and fast cars?

_I got chills  
They're multiplyin'  
And I'm losin' control  
Cause the power you're supplyin'  
It's electrifyin'_

Trevor dropped to his knees and looked up at Hilary in adoration. Santana grinned. The two characters had been tiptoeing around their feelings for each other the entire play and with this number, all was being laid down.

_You better shape up  
Cause I need a man  
And my heart is set on you  
You better shape up  
You better understand  
To my heart I must be true  
Nothing left  
Nothing left for me to do _

Brittany appeared from the wings and stood behind Trevor and Hilary as they danced around each other. Their looks and body movements were still teasing, but they were absolutely selling the idea that they'd finally admitted to being in love. Brittany's choreography, as always, was perfectly matched and as the song played out, it became less sexy and more affectionate. The rest of the cast appeared on stage as the sang the back up vocals and harmonies for the duo.

_You're the one that I want  
(You are the one I want)  
Ooh ooh ooh, honey  
The one that I want  
(You are the one I want)  
Ooh ooh ooh, honey  
The one that I want  
(You are the one I want)  
Ooh ooh ooh  
The one I need  
(The one I need)  
Oh yes indeed  
(Yes indeed) _

The cast finished big and Brittany, Santana and all the other teachers involved in the musical applauded loudly.

"That was absolutely _perfect_!" Santana gushed. "Everyone looked and sounded phenomenal. And the best thing is that it's gonna look even better when we start our dress rehearsals next week."

The cast on stage smiled big and Brittany stepped forward to chat to Hilary and Trevor.

"Santana."

She turned around and smiled at DC. "Hi, DC. So, what did you think?"

"Honestly, I didn't expect it to be this good," DC admitted sheepishly. "You've done an amazing job here, Santana."

"Thank you." She blushed.

"This musical has definitely sent the school buzzing. I was thinking, if you're in agreement, that perhaps we could set up a teaser performance for the student body to get the drive for tickets up. They're selling well, considering they only went on sale yesterday, but this is the first of what I feel will be many musical productions and we should get the interest spiked early."

Santana nodded. "Word of mouth will definitely be our biggest advertisement and a performance will definitely loosen some tongues."

"Perhaps you could perform a number from the show? Or create something completely different, like a trailer to a movie?" DC's eyes widened in excitement.

Santana giggled. "I'll work something out with Britt this weekend. This is going to be amazing, DC. Thanks so much for letting us do this."

He chuckled. "Well, it's my pleasure, but I think it's safe to say that you got the most out of this...experience."

"Well, you're not wrong there, I guess," she said, blushing. She absently started playing with her ring.

"Fantastic! So, shall we set up a meeting for Monday morning? You can let me know when to schedule the assembly."

Santana nodded. "Sure thing, DC."

"Mommy!"

Bella's voice echoed throughout the auditorium and Santana immediately wondered what her daughter would sound like if she _really_ sang.

"Bella, wait! Slow down!"

Santana chuckled at Rachel's desperate voice. She watched her daughter barrel down the stairs and run to her.

"Hi!" she said breathlessly, her caramel cheeks tinged red.

"Hi, baby girl. Are you giving Rachel another headache?"

"No, Finn does that," Bella replied seriously.

Santana chuckled. "DC, you remember Bella."

"Hi!" Mini-Santana chirped, waving and smiling widely.

"Always a pleasure, Miss Lopez," DC said chivalrously, causing the little girl to giggle. "I'm very excited to have you as a student here one day."

"Hey, hey, don't go putting any ideas in her head."

"But Mommy, I wanna come here," Bella pouted.

Santana knelt down. "Baby, you can go wherever you want," she said in a soft voice, tucking her daughter's hair behind her ear. "I just want you to be absolutely sure of all the options available to you before you make a decision. Who knows, you might want to go to a boarding school in London, for all I know!"

Bella scoffed. "No ways. It rains there all the time. Plus, I wanna be here so that I can be a big sister. And you and Britt will miss me too much."

Santana's heart absolutely melted. She loved her little girl so fucking much. "Baby girl, I couldn't have said it better myself. You're so right. I'd probably end up staying awake all night wondering if you missed me, if you liked your classes, which boys you were kissing-"

"Ew, Mommy," Bella interrupted, making a face. "Boys are gross."

Santana laughed. "Can't say I disagree with you there."

"Isabella Lopez! How many times have I told you that running away from me is completely reckless, not to mention dangerous? Regardless of-"

"Rachel!" Santana and Bella both said in exasperation.

"Wow, that was so cool," Brittany said from her position on the stage.

"Big B!" Bella walked to the stage and held up her arms. Brittany leaned down and lifted her onto the stage effortlessly.

"How was your day, Little B?" Brittany asked, allowing Bella to crawl into her lap.

Bella immediately launched into a detailed analysis of her day, starting from the moment Santana and Brittany had dropped her off that morning.

"Santana, I-"

She held up a hand to stop her friend, intent on just watching her fiancée interact with her daughter.

_Soon to be hers too._

Santana grinned at the thought. She couldn't wait.

"Oh my God!" Rachel suddenly squealed, grabbing Santana's hand and shaking her out of her daydream.

"What?" Santana asked in exasperation. "I was watching my girls."

"You're getting married!"

Santana winced. They'd been planning to tell their friends about their impending nuptials at Glee night that evening. But Rachel had spotted her ring and the whole of New York would probably know before rehearsal ended.

"Rachel, we were going to-"

"This is so amazing!" the diva interrupted, her eyes shining. "I'm so happy for you, Santana! I was hoping you would propose!'

"I didn't," Santana replied truthfully, her eyes drifting to Brittany, who was now looking at them with a small smile on her face.

"Oh, Brittany proposed? Oh, well, um. Congratulations, to the both of you. I honestly thought that you would be the one to pop the question, being the more dominant one in the relationship and-"

"Hold up, what?" Santana pulled her hand back. "Just because I'm confident and assertive, that makes me the dominant one in our relationship? That's a little judgmental, Berry, even for you."

"Santana, I didn't mean it as an insult," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "It's simply an observation that I'm sure our friends would readily corroborate."

"I'm about to clobber-rate you," Santana muttered.

She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out, immediately tuning her overzealous friend out. Brittany? She looked up and saw her fiancée smiling wickedly at her. Oh, this was going to be a _really_ good text.

_Ignore her, babe. It doesn't matter who proposed. We're getting married and that's awesome. Besides, I wouldn't mind you being a little more dominant, but we both know I'm the best in that department ;)_

Santana's jaw dropped and she felt an immediate rush of heat run through her body, settling quite happily between her legs. She resisted the urge to whine. She lifted her eyes and narrowed them in challenge to Brittany, who simply smirked and raised her eyebrow as if to say _challenge accepted_.

"Berry, quiet."

Rachel closed her mouth.

"I am busy directing this amazing musical. You can either sit down and button that trap of yours shut, or you can go home and prepare for Glee Night. Oh, we're having an additional two guests."

"We are?" Rachel asked in confusion. "Who?"

"That's for me to know and you not to," Santana replied snippily.

"Play nice," she heard Brittany from the stage.

That sweet voice immediately softened the Latina's irritation.

_After twenty years, one sound and you're putty in her hands._

She smiled. She didn't really care. It did put a damper on her newfound task to be more...dominant. Her eyes widened as an idea floated into her head.

"Do I even want to know what you're thinking about to produce a smirk like that?" Rachel asked, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"No, you really don't. Now, sit down and watch the next performance and tell me what you think."

"You...you're asking for _my_ opinion?" Rachel was shocked, and understandably so. Santana had, on several occasions, told Rachel that she was banned from rehearsals because she'd try and take over whilst trying to laud her talent over everyone.

"Either sit down or leave my auditorium," Santana replied firmly.

"Your auditorium, huh? That's hot," Brittany whispered in her ear.

Santana whirled around, the fire between her legs immediately erupting again. She hadn't even heard Brittany leave the stage.

She grabbed her fiancée's arm and whispered back, "You and I are gonna need some good luck before we leave tonight. You have been warned."

"Warned, huh?" There was a mischievous gleam in the blue eyes she loved so much. "You'd better live up to the expectations I have then, Lopez. I'd just _hate_ to be disappointed."

"Holy Jesus," Santana breathed, thankful that no sound left her throat. Her daughter was only two feet away, dragging Brittany to the stairs.

Ugh, the things Brittany Pierce did to her.

_And the things you're going to do to her._

"Ok, now I _know_ what that look means," Rachel said loudly. "I'm sitting and waiting patiently, Santana. Impress me."

Santana's eyes reluctantly left the perfect ass walking away from her and blinked at Rachel. "Hobbit, prepare to be amazed," she said with a smirk, turning to the stage. She clapped her hands once. "Guys and girls, that last number was fantastic. Let's work on the Regionals performance now. Chloe and Ben, you guys ready?"

They nodded.

"Fantastic. Band, ready? All right. A 5, 6, 7, 8!"

* * *

Bella yawned, resting her head on Brittany's shoulder as they walked into their apartment.

"Baby, we still have like two hours before we have to leave for Rachel and Finn's," Santana murmured, stroking her daughter's cheek. "You wanna go sleep for a bit?"

Bella just nodded and Brittany smiled at her fiancée. Santana smiled back and nodded slightly, leaning up to brush her lips across Brittany's cheek. The blonde felt them flush red. Anything that involved Santana's lips on her body immediately pushed her body temperature up. It always had. Even their first kiss at the age of ten had sent Brittany running into the swimming pool because her body had suddenly gotten so hot.

She walked into Bella's room and lay the little girl down on her bed. She slipped off the tiny shoes – she couldn't get over how cute kids' feet were, all small and stuff – and sat her up slightly to untangle her ponytail.

"There you go, Little B," she whispered. "Snug as a bug. I'll come and wake you later, ok?"

Bella just nodded and buried her face into her Disney pillow, holding Nemo tightly to her chest.

"Love you, Britt," she mumbled.

As always, the declaration set Brittany's heart aflutter. "Love you too, Little B. Sweet dreams."

She tucked Bella in and walked out, pulling the door closed behind her, but leaving a sliver a light filtering into the room. No kid enjoyed the dark. Rubbing her eyes and feeling a little tired herself, Brittany walked into her bedroom and froze in the doorway, all thoughts of sleeping vanishing from her mind.

"Close the door."

She obeyed immediately.

"You need to be naked and on this bed in ten seconds."

_Oh, shit. Oh my God. This is the hottest thing ever_, Brittany thought as she hurriedly got rid of her tights, over-sized shirt and underwear. She sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly nervous.

"And how do you expect me to do anything with you sitting there, B?"

Santana crooked her finger and Brittany scooted up the bed, her back against the pillows. Her eyes raced over the exposed tanned skin and she licked her lips.

"You like what you see, B?"

Brittany nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah? What do you want to do to me?"

Brittany's mouth went dry. Santana was looking at her with her fuck me eyes and she curled her toes, reactively tightening her thigh muscles. The movement did not go unnoticed.

Santana clicked her tongue. "Now, how do you think I'm going to fuck you if you keep those legs of yours so tightly closed?"

_Hottest. Thing. Ever._

She inhaled sharply and loudly as Santana sat up on her knees, pushing Brittany's legs open. Not that she gave much resistance. Her fiancée slowly crawled up her body, dipping her tongue to trace up Brittany's now quivering stomach.

"How are those expectations, B?" Santana whispered, rubbing her naked breasts against Brittany's.

The blonde whimpered.

Santana stopped. "I asked you a question." Her voice was harder. She pushed herself away from Brittany.

_Shit_.

"Um, th-they're good. Good. B-but...you're better."

Santana smirked and Brittany breathed an internal sigh of relief. She'd beg on bended knee before letting anything stop what they were about to do.

"That's better," Santana purred, leaning in to finally kiss her.

Brittany didn't bother to squash the moan that rose in her throat at the texture of Santana's tongue massaging hers. Santana was the _best_ kisser ever. And Brittany had kissed loads of people, both male and female. Nobody could hold a candle to Santana. And she knew that Santana had never kissed anyone the way she kissed her. It was like her kisses were Brittany kisses. They were super special and all hers.

"How much do you want me inside you, baby?" Santana husked against her lips.

"So much," Brittany whimpered back. "Please, San."

She could tell that Santana wanted to say something else and she lifted her arms to trace her fingers down her fiancée's smooth, bare back.

"It's ok," she whispered. "It's been a while, but I trust you."

She felt Santana let out a breath before brushing her lips across Brittany's collarbone. Suddenly, it wasn't about domination anymore. It became about making love, as it always was between them. Brittany shuddered as Santana's hand ghosted over her naked body. Her other hand was keeping her hovering over Brittany.

"Baby, you're so far away," she whispered, resting her hands on Santana's hips.

Santana nodded, but still held her body up with her arms.

"I'm nervous," she eventually whispered.

Brittany's heart melted. She put her hands on Santana's cheeks and forced her fiancée to meet her gaze. "San, we've been through this before. Nothing's changed since then. And there is no one, _no one_, other than you, that I want to do this with. I know how much you like this and it won't change my preference and it won't make me want you any less. Because it's _you_, Santana. I will only ever want _you_."

The Latina nodded and leaned forward, meeting Brittany's soft lips in a tender, meaningful kiss. Brittany returned her hands to Santana's back and softly ran her fingers across the tight muscles, patiently waiting for her to get comfortable. After about five minutes of languid kissing (Brittany wasn't complaining – she could honestly kiss Santana for hours), Santana relaxed her arms and their chests met.

Brittany hummed in appreciation, finally able to wrap her arms around Santana and pull her close as their kisses became a little more heated.

"I'm ready whenever you are, baby," Brittany whispered in Santana's ear when she started trailing kisses down her neck.

She felt Santana nod in to her neck and continued her soft and loving kisses. Brittany sighed happily. She loved being with Santana like this. Whether they were panting in each other's ears or simply holding each other or even engaging in one of their many tickle fights, being physically close to Santana was the best thing in the world to Brittany.

Suddenly Santana's kisses became a little harder and Brittany could feel her teeth grazing the skin on her neck and shoulder. Her hands dug into Santana's back and her hips rocked up automatically. She moaned breathlessly at the feeling between her legs.

She felt Santana's hips drop with hers and she thrusted froward a little bit. This time, Brittany did moan audibly. Santana pulled her head back and locked eyes with her. They had a silent conversation as the brunette's breathing became a little more laboured as she realised what she was about to do.

Brittany dropped one of her hands between them and gripped the head of the strap on that Santana was wearing. She moved her hand up and down, never breaking eye contact as she gave her fiancée a hand job...so to speak. From the growing lust in Santana's eyes, Brittany was pretty sure she could feel it as though it was real. This was why she loved their toy – a present they'd bought together in their senior year of high school. It was a modest seven inches with a clit stimulator. Santana used to wear it most of the time because she knew that Brittany enjoyed being filled more than she did. But after Brittany had convinced her to try it, they'd interchanged it pretty easily. The last time they'd used it had been about a month before she'd left. She was pretty impressed that Santana had kept it all the years they'd been apart. Impressed and very, very happy.

"You ready?" Brittany whispered, stroking Santana's cheek with her thumb and smiling tenderly.

Santana took a breath and nodded. Brittany guided the dildo between her folds, coating it in her juices. There was a lot. The thought of Santana filling her up always made her extremely wet and she actually shivered in anticipation as she ran a finger along the dildo, checking to see if it was lubricated enough.

Brittany opened her legs wider and Santana shifted so that she was nestled between them comfortably. She was still looking at Brittany. Not kissing, just looking, her hand resting on the blonde's hip, lightly stroking her thumb over the hip bone. Brittany smiled encouragingly, her heartbeat picking up as she positioned the dildo at her entrance. She was _more_ than ready to have Santana moving inside her. There was something incredibly intimate about Santana thrusting in and out of her with something other than her fingers. Many times, Brittany had pictured that it was Santana driving into her instead if the guys she'd been with in high school. She loved imagining that Santana could go that deep, fill her up and still be close enough to kiss her and move with her.

With a soft push, Santana entered the tip of the dildo into Brittany's dripping pussy. Brittany groaned in pleasure.

"Jesus, San. I've missed having you inside me."

Brittany knew that Santana _loved_ it when she said things like that. She loved being the person to fill her up and move in and out of her, building her higher and higher, hitting that spot inside that her fingers couldn't quite reach. She pressed her hands into the bed on either side of Brittany's hips, lifting herself slightly so that she could rotate her hips easily. Brittany's hands were splayed across her back, fingers digging into the skin as Santana pushed in a little more. Brittany arched off the bed and moaned.

"Feel good, baby?" Santana whispered.

"So good. Baby, fill me up. I need you."

Santana obliged, driving her hips down slowly and feeling Brittany swallow the dildo in her tight core. The pressure on her clit was instantaneous. She dropped her head, capturing Brittany's lips with her own, both of them shaking with pleasure as they became accustomed to the new position.

Brittany squeezed Santana's hips and she started to pull out, never breaking their kiss. They'd used the strap on so many times that Santana was well aware of how far she needed to pull out before pushing back in. When she did, she tilted her hips up, ensuring that the tip of the dildo hit Brittany's G-spot and her clit hit Brittany's.

"Fuck!" Brittany moaned against Santana's lips. "Babe, again. Please. Feels so good."

Santana obeyed, her hips picking up a slow rhythm as she moved in and out of her fiancée. Brittany's legs lifted and wrapped around Santana's waist, pulling her impossibly close and holding her there. Her hands were scratching Santana''s back and shoulders, needing some sort of release for the pleasure she was feeling.

"Oh my God," Brittany groaned as Santana bent her head, latching those gorgeous puffy lips onto one of her nipples and sucking gently. It felt amazing. Santana's thrusts never faltered and Brittany absolutely loved it when she was built up this slowly. Although precise and immensely pleasurable, the thrusts were not hard, but Brittany didn't mind. It wasn't about power or speed. It was about love and showing that love. And Brittany and Santana showed their love by being together like this.

Santana let out a shuddering moan as the pressure on her clit sent a shiver of pleasure down to her toes. Her rhythm never faltered though and Brittany squeezed her tighter as she could feel the coil wind tighter and tighter in her stomach. Somehow Santana knew – she always knew – and started to roll her hips in figure eights, hitting all the pleasure spots inside Brittany.

"Oh, baby. Ugh, San. You feel so good," Brittany breathed into Santana's neck.

Santana just smiled, trailing kisses on Brittany's shoulder, up her neck, along her jawline and finally swiped her tongue across swollen lips. Her fiancée's mouth immediately opened for her and their tongues danced with each other. Brittany's breaths were coming quicker and Santana could feel her heart thudding in her chest. Her own release was very close, but she wanted to wait until Brittany came before she did.

She angled her hips down and pressed her clit against Brittany's, rotating her hips so that they stayed pressing against each other, the friction becoming almost unbearable. Brittany was shaking beneath her, her release almost upon her. She needed that extra push to send her over, but part of her didn't want this experience with Santana to end. The Latina seemed to understand this because she rested their foreheads together, coaxing Brittany to open her eyes.

"Baby, trust me when I say that this is definitely not going to be the last time we use our little friend." Her voice was breathless with exertion and restraint. "I love being inside you and even though you're trying really hard to hold onto the feeling, it's ok to let it go."

Brittany blinked her eyes open and Santana could see the turmoil brewing in the now dark blue depths.

"Baby, let it go," Santana said gently, pushing deeply into her. "I really want you to come for me."

Brittany's eyes fluttered closed again when Santana hit her G-spot. She pulled out again and pushed in just as deep, pressing her clit against Brittany's. The blonde's breathing became even more ragged and her nails were leaving marks across Santana's back. She didn't mind. She loved it when Brittany marked her.

"Come for me, baby," she whispered again before kissing her softly.

Brittany accepted the onslaught of pleasure as it raced through her. Her back arched off the bed as her body froze. The angle of her body pressed the strap on right against Santana's clit, sending her crashing over the edge with a loud moan. She buried her face in Brittany's neck, even though it was coated in sweat. She inhaled as her body shivered with orgasmic shudders. Brittany was still shaking and twitching, but she held Santana tightly to her.

After a few minutes, Santana's body had calmed down, but Brittany was still shaking. Santana knew the difference between pleasurable shaking and sobbing. She pushed herself up to look at Brittany, but her fiancée just kept her head buried against Santana's chest.

"Baby, talk to me," she whispered, running her hand through Brittany's hair and stroking her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she heard Brittany's muffled voice. "You're so perfect."

Santana couldn't help but chuckle. "B, that's not something to cry over."

Brittany sniffed and just rested her ear against Santana's heart, comforted by its steady beat.

"It's silly."

"Baby, you know that I don't think anything that you say is silly. Please tell me?"

The blonde sighed. "It's just...being like this...feeling you like this – part of me wishes that you could give me the baby we want. It makes me sad that you can't."

Santana felt her heart constrict. "Brittany, I want that more than anything in the world," She moved to lie next to her fiancée, but Brittany held her tighter.

"No, just stay a little longer please? I like this feeling."

Santana smiled and settled down on top of Brittany so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"If I could have one wish in the world, I would wish for a little girl that's half you and half me. She'll have beautiful blue eyes and golden hair just like you-"

"But she'll have skin like caramel," Brittany cut in quietly, running her finger down Santana's cheek. "Like you and Bella."

Santana smiled. "She'll have your smile, that beautiful smile that lights up the room. And she'll see the world the same way you do."

"And Bella."

"And Bella," Santana agreed. She dropped her forehead to Brittany's, relishing in the heat rolling off her. It wasn't stifling, but very comforting. "Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered.

"Always."

"I think that I subconsciously raised Bella to be like you. That's why you two get on so well. I missed you so much and I needed you in my life. So I let my daughter become exactly like you, with that innocent world view, that perpetual happiness, that never-ending energy and that all-encompassing love. Just like you."

Brittany's eyes shimmered again. "But she's just like _you_, San," she whispered. "That happiness, that love, that energy – that's you. Maybe I brought it out in you, but you're the one that had it in the first place."

Santana kissed her cheek. "I love you," she said simply. "I just love you so damn much. I really need to thank your parents for moving to Lima."

Brittany laughed and the sound warmed Santana's heart. "You've thanked them like a billion times, San. Every card for Christmas and their birthdays ended off with 'Thank you so much for moving to Lima'."

Santana pretended to be offended. "So what if I wanted to show my gratitude for bringing the love of my life to me."

"I'd like to think that I found you," Brittany said softly, looking suddenly shy.

Santana smiled and kissed her, lingering on her lips. "You found me, baby. And you always had me."

Brittany nodded. "Even though we were stupid and blind when we were younger, we always had each other."

"Always."

* * *

**A/N: Been a while since we've had some sweet Brittana lady lovin' :) First time I've written anything like **_**that**_** so I hope it's not too bad.**

**Glee Night with our special guest stars coming up :)**

**Thanks for your continued support, guys 'n girls :)**

**-H**


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: And we've hit 900 reviews. I'm honestly speechless – which is a huge thing for me! Thank you, everyone. So very, very much. This was my first story that I ever thought of publishing and it is honestly the best decision that I have made in my life – no exaggeration. I feel like I've really grown as a writer over the last five or so months that I've been writing on here…**

**From the bottom of my heart, thank you.**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 44**

Santana inhaled Brittany's scent again and smiled as she nuzzled her fiancée's neck. "Baby, we should really get up and get ready," she murmured, brushing her lips against the heated skin.

Brittany's fingers had been tracing shapes all over Santana's naked back, but now both arms came around her and held her close.

"I don't want to lose this feeling," she whispered.

"_Mi amor_, you will never lose it because you'll never lose me," Santana replied quietly, continuing her kisses.

Brittany sighed deeply and dropped a soft kiss onto Santana's shoulder. The Latina smiled and wiggled her body happily, eliciting a giggle from the blonde beneath her. She was still buried inside Brittany. They'd gone another two rounds with the strap on, both sessions equally as loving and tender as their emotional first one.

"San, you're gonna make me want you again if you keep doing that," Brittany warned, but her voice told Santana that she wouldn't mind.

She grinned widely, hiding her face in Brittany's hair. She loved how much her fiancée wanted her all the time. Their sex life in high school had been very active, to say the least. It had diminished only a little when they'd first arrived in New York, purely because of their conflicting schedules. She was so happy that their drives were still as insatiable as they had been when they were younger. She knew of many couples where the passion had simply dried up and the relationship had crumbled. That wasn't to say that her and Brittany's relationship was based on sex, because it definitely was so much more than just sex. And their love made them strong. Their all-encompassing, everlasting, epic love.

"You're happy," Brittany said and Santana smiled big again, not wanting to move from her favourite spot.

"So happy," she whispered. "I honestly didn't think it was possible. I thought that we were happy in high school and when we moved here, and I thought that it couldn't get better than that. But this is just…it's another level of happy. Everything is perfect. You're so perfect and I love you so much."

She felt Brittany kiss her head, continuing to hold her tightly.

"We're meant to be, Santana. Twenty years under our belts, and yet it feels like a drop in the ocean because we have forever ahead of us."

Santana felt her throat tighten. God, Brittany was just so fucking perfect. She was…

It didn't even matter that Santana couldn't find the words because lying there, wrapped up in her fiancée's arms, was all she needed to survive anything that life threw at her.

* * *

They did eventually get up with half an hour to get to Rachel and Finn's, taking a relaxing shower together. After washing each other, they just held each other, swaying gently to a silent song as the water cascaded around them. Santana dressed first and went to wake Bella, who had started to wake up on her own as Santana walked into her bedroom. They chose a blue dress with a white jacket (Kurt really loved spoiling her) and gorgeous little black combat boots that Brittany had found and Bella had fallen in love with.

"Mama, can I give Nemo to Max?"

Santana smiled down at her daughter as she tied the laces on her boots. "That's completely up to you, baby girl. If you want to give Max one of your toys, then go right ahead."

Bella smiled and Santana matched it. She loved how selfless her daughter was. She found it hard to believe that Bella had inherited that particular trait from her, especially considering how she'd been all about herself for most of her life.

"You guys ready?"

Santana turned and smiled at Brittany. "Yeah, I think we're just about good to go," she said, standing up and wrapping her arms around her fiancée's waist and leaning against her shoulder.

Brittany put her own arm around Santana's waist and pulled her closer. It was like they just had to be closer to each other. What they'd experienced together had intensified their need for each other and neither were going to fight it. Santana was really happy that they didn't have to hide it either. She still chastised her seventeen-year-old self for being so scared, but at the same time, completely understood why she'd done the things she'd done.

"You ok?" Brittany murmured.

Santana nodded, lifting her face to kiss Brittany's lips. "Love you."

"Love you too, beautiful."

"Does anyone love me?" Bella pouted, her hands on her hips.

Santana laughed and bent to pick her daughter up. "You know we both love you the mostest." She nuzzled Bella's cheek.

"Mommy, that's not even a word," Bella giggled, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck.

Santana gasped in fake shock. "It isn't?"

"No." Bella was still giggling. "But you can say it, Mommy, cos you're a writer so you're allowed to make up words."

"Awesome," Santana said with a nod. "I think that you make a very valid point, m_i carina_."

She felt Brittany's hand slip into her unoccupied one and Santana met her eyes. They were going to be teased mercilessly that night because they weren't going to be very sociable. They both knew it. After the emotional rollercoaster they'd experienced making love, it didn't matter what anyone else thought. They needed each other.

"Wait, Mommy! Don't forget Nemo!"

Santana briefly let go of her fiancée's hand to grab the orange stuffed animal, handing it to her daughter before switching the light off and linking her fingers with Brittany's as they walked out of the apartment.

* * *

Brittany's cheeks were starting to cramp from the permanent smile she had etched on her face. It wasn't even a big smile, but it hadn't left since she and Santana had made love. So the slight ache was more than welcome. She subtly pulled her fiancée even closer as they walked to Rachel and Finn's apartment, although there was already virtually no space between them.

"Ms. Reacher said that I'm so clever that I'm ready for middle school," Bella giggled. She'd been talking about how school had become a little boring because she always finished her work so quickly. Brittany felt a huge sense of pride run through her at Bella's awesome intelligence. She'd never been that smart, but Santana had always been there to help her study and do reports and homework and stuff. And Santana was super smart. She'd always said that she was book smart, but Brittany was people smart and that kind of smart was the most important. She'd always said the exact thing to make Brittany feel better about herself.

"They've asked me about that before," Santana told her daughter. "They recognised your super brain powers last year already, baby girl. You haven't changed your mind about skipping a grade, have you?"

Bella looked thoughtful as Brittany led them across the road, letting her two favourite girls continue their conversation uninterrupted.

"I don't think I want to, Mommy. I like my friends and I like Ms. Reacher."

"But?" Santana prodded, stepping back onto the sidewalk.

Bella sighed. "But I hate being bored."

"Aren't there books or things that you can read, baby? Or draw pictures?"

"I do draw. I draw one every day. And I've read all the books in our book bags."

Brittany glanced down at Santana and saw her chewing on her lip. She had to smile wider. She loved that look of concentration on her face. It was utterly adorable.

She led them up the stairs into Rachel and Finn's building and was about to open the door when a voice called out.

"Yo, Lopez!"

Brittany chuckled and she saw Santana roll her eyes.

"Really, _Noah_, it doesn't seem like much has changed after all," she teased as Quinn and Noah ascended the stairs behind them.

"Hi, Quinn," Brittany said warmly, leaning in for a hug, but not letting go of Santana's hand.

"Hi, Britt," she replied, smiling at Santana, who returned it.

"Puck, I brought something for Max!" Bella said excitedly, holding up her Nemo toy.

Noah grinned. "He's sleeping right now, Little Lopez, but I'm sure he'll be stoked when you give it to him when he wakes up."

"Ok." Bella's smile was blinding.

"We'd better be careful," Brittany said softly in Santana's ear. "She's gonna start demanding a baby sister soon."

Santana chuckled. "Whenever you want, baby."

Brittany's smile went big. "Yeah?"

Santana nodded, her eyes locking onto Brittany's. She could see that Santana just wanted everything with her and it made her heart want to explode. Which would kinda suck cos then she'd be dead and not with Santana. Oh, that thought was really sad.

"Guess someone had a good day." Noah's teasing voice broke their stare.

Brittany blushed and looked down.

"Noah, I'm absolutely dying to see this supposed _grown_ _up_ you profess to be," Santana said sarcastically, turning back to the door.

Brittany opened it and Santana walked through with Bella still sitting on her hip. Quinn grabbed it so that Brittany could follow Santana without letting her hand go. She smiled gratefully, glad that Quinn would probably be the only one who wouldn't tease them. Out of everyone from high school, she'd seen how she and Santana had struggled with their relationship, both with keeping it a secret and coming to terms with their feelings. She was pretty sure that the former Head Cheerio had known a lot longer than anyone else about their extracurricular activities. She also knew how hard it had been for Santana when Finn's big mouth had outed her. She'd been a really good friend for both of them during that time.

"Thank you," Brittany whispered to her as they waited for the elevator.

Quinn smiled back and bumped her shoulder. "The Unholy Trinity never ended, Britt."

No, it really hadn't.

* * *

"Santana, I believe that I have impressed on several occasions the importance of punctuality," Rachel said as she opened the door.

"Hello to you too, Hobbit," Santana teased.

"Hi, Rachel!" Bella said, wiggling to be put down.

Santana obliged, having to momentarily let go of Brittany's hand. As soon as Bella went to hug Rachel, her fingers automatically linked with Brittany's again.

"Hey, Rach," Brittany said, leaning forward once Bella had rushed inside.

"Hi, Britt." Rachel pulled back after the hug and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone."

Santana blinked in surprise. "I'm impressed, Rach. That's gotta be a record or something."

"Most people just say thank you, Santana," Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

Santana grinned. "Yeah, you're in my good book, Berry." Movement to her left reminded her of their special guests. "Oh! Rachel, Britt and I happened to run into some old friends the other day and we thought they'd love to join us for Glee Night."

"Oh," Rachel said, surprised but excited. "I do enjoy a good surprise."

Santana and Brittany stepped back to let Quinn and Noah step forward. Santana immediately winced, burying her face in Brittany's shoulder in an attempt to cover up the sound of Rachel's squeals and not long after, Kurt's.

"The whole gang's back together," Brittany said softly, wrapping her arm around Santana and keeping her close. "Our family's whole again."

Santana smiled and kissed her fiancée. "B, our family's only beginning."

* * *

After several minutes of squealing and crying (yes, actual tears) and hugs and 'how are you's, Santana and Brittany were seated on the couch with a glass of wine each, snuggled close together, Santana's head resting in her favourite place and Brittany's arm was securely holding her close, her fingers running up and down her arm.

"What's up with you two?" Blaine asked with a smile. "You guys are more lovey-dovey than usual."

Santana simply smiled. "No reason."

"Actually," Brittany murmured in Santana's ear. "I suppose we do have an announcement."

"Hmmm," Santana mused, not really wanting to move from her position. "Bella?" she called.

"Yes, Mommy?" Bella replied, running towards her.

Santana smiled and sat up a bit, Brittany automatically following her so that their bodies were still close together. She opened her arms so that her daughter could climb onto her lap.

"Is it secret time?" Bella stage-whispered excitedly.

"Secret?" Kurt asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Santana and Brittany subtly hid their left hands from view as Santana whispered into her daughter's ear. Bella nodded and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Listen up, the most amazing daughter ever in the history of the world has something to say," Santana announced with a smile.

She caught Rachel's happy look, which was mirrored by Quinn, who was standing next to her.

"Thank you, Mommy," Bella said, suddenly serious, like she was giving a valedictorian speech or something. "So…" She paused for dramatic effect and Santana had to giggle at how everyone leaned forward in anticipation. "Mommy and Britt are getting married!" Bella squealed, clapping her hands together.

"No way!" Kurt laughed, sitting down next to them, a big smile on his face.

"Way," Santana replied, holding out her left hand.

Kurt gasped as he studied the ring. "Santana, it's absolutely exquisite. It's perfect."

"I know." She had to say it because it was true. Their rings _were_ perfect.

"Tell me everything," Kurt said. "I want details."

Santana just leaned back into Brittany, who chuckled.

"Kurt, all you need to know is that I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

"Brittany asked?"

"Why is everyone so surprised at that?" Brittany mumbled.

"Baby, I love that you asked me," Santana said softly, using a finger to tip her fiancée's face towards hers for a sweet kiss. "And I love that you found our rings."

"They got matching rings!" Bella said excitedly, leaning into her mother's lap.

"Wow, you two really are meant to be," Kurt commented, examining Brittany's ring in the same detail.

"I never doubted it," Brittany whispered so that only Santana could hear her.

"You're amazing," she replied, snuggling into the blonde's neck again.

"We're not going to get anything out of them tonight, guys," Finn commented, handing Noah a beer. "They're in their own world."

"Well spotted, Finnocence," Santana said with a chuckle. "You all would do well to listen to Lumps the Clown there."

"Santana," Brittany and Rachel both said warningly.

She rolled her eyes. "Guys, you know I love you all. I'm only kidding. Finn, you are a beautiful person. And…yeah, that's it."

She giggled as Brittany poked her in her side.

"That wasn't nice," she said softly.

"That was totally nice," Santana replied seriously, making the mistake of looking up and seeing her fiancée's disapproving gaze. "Ah, come on, baby. I apologised!"

"Stop calling them names."

"They know I don't mean it."

"So then you don't need to say them if you don't mean them."

Santana pouted and just rested her head on Brittany's shoulder. "You're no fun."

Brittany dropped her voice to Santana's ear. "I'm pretty sure you won't be saying that later."

"Oh." Santana shivered at the thought.

The blonde chuckled and took a sip of her wine, happily allowing her fiancée to curl into her.

* * *

"Hmmm, Rachel, that was absolutely delectable," Quinn said, placing her folded napkin on the table.

"It wasn't vegan, right?" Brittany asked suddenly. "I think I'm allergic to vegan."

Santana chuckled along with Kurt, Noah and Finn. Rachel didn't look too amused.

"You can't be allergic to vegan food, Brittany. It's a lifestyle choice."

"I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to Martha Stewart too," Brittany deadpanned.

Santana laughed out loud at that. She had missed Brittany's random comments so much. The blonde knew exactly what she was saying. She had a wonderful sense of humour. In high school, most people had played it off as her simply being an 'airhead blonde'. But Santana knew better – Brittany was a comic genius.

"So, Noah, what are you doing with yourself now?" Kurt asked.

"I work at a bar. They have a few open mic nights and I play every so often. The money's pretty good and I enjoy it. Plus, I'm close to home."

"I think we'll have to come and visit you one night," Rachel stated as she started clearing the table.

Brittany helped and Santana pouted a little as she was forced to let go of her hand. She knew she was being ridiculously co-dependent, but she didn't care. She just wanted Brittany close.

Brittany, sensing her discomfort, kissed her temple. "I'll be back soon, baby. Talk to Quinn about Bella."

Santana frowned in confusion. Talk about what?

"Quinn, do you still read a lot?" Brittany asked, getting the conversation started.

The Latina smiled in understanding. God, Brittany was amazing. Truly amazing.

"Oh, far too much," Quinn chuckled, sipping her wine. "Noah keeps threatening to pawn my book collection to pay for Max's school tuition."

Santana chuckled. "Starting a little early, aren't we?"

Noah shrugged. "My little man is gonna get the best that New York has to offer. You can never start too early."

_Wow. Puck really did grow up._

"I'm impressed, Noah," Rachel said with a smile.

"Geez, guys. Is it really such a shock that I'm responsible and shit now?"

"Puck! You owe me a dollar," Bella said sternly.

Quinn laughed heartily. "Uh oh. Looks like you've got yourself a marshal, honey."

Noah rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet, handing Bella a five dollar bill. "Keep me in credit for when I swear again, Little Lopez."

Bella giggled. "Look, Mommy. I'm rich."

"Now you can afford that doll house you want so much."

"No, I wanna do ballet classes," Bella said, smiling at Brittany.

"Sure thing, Little B. I know the best place for you to go," Brittany replied, winking at her.

"Yay!"

"Following in Britt's footsteps, Bella?" Quinn asked.

"Uh huh," Bella said, nodding fervently. "I'm going to Julie and."

"Julliard," Santana whispered to Quinn in clarification. "And you're gonna rock it there, baby girl."

"Julliard?" Rachel asked with interest. "Santana, don't forget that NYADA is just as prestigious."

"Nothing's set in stone, Rach. But wherever Bella wants to go, I'll make it happen."

"Cos you love me, hey, Mommy?" her daughter said with a big smile, sliding off her chair and crawling into her mother's lap.

"To the moon and back, baby girl," Santana whispered, kissing her head.

Bella took Santana's hand and started playing with her ring.

"Who would've thought eight years ago that we'd all be sitting around a table in New York?" Blaine mused.

"It almost seems surreal," Santana agreed. "But I gotta say that I'm glad we ran into each other the other day, Quinn."

Quinn reached across the table and squeezed Santana's hand. "Me too, S."

A loud cry pierced the comfortable silence that had fallen over the table.

"Max is awake!" Bella said happily, climbing off Santana's lap.

Santana smiled as she watched her daughter follow Quinn into her old bedroom where Puck had put Max.

"She seems enamoured," Kurt commented.

Santana chuckled. "You have no idea. She's been talking about him non-stop since dinner on Tuesday."

"You'd better start thinking about that expansion, Lopez," Noah teased. "She might fall in love with our boy and then you'll lose her."

The Latina glared at him. "First, Bella will always belong to me. She's not going anywhere. Second, she's patient. She understands that it's going to be a while for that to happen."

"Santana Lopez, do my ears deceive me?" Kurt said in mock shock. "Are you and Brittany-"

"Having a baby?" Brittany interrupted, walking back out of the kitchen. She stood behind Santana's chair and put her arms around her shoulders. "Yes, but not right now."

Santana grinned and pulled on Brittany's arms until she stepped around the chair and sat in her lap. She felt like a cat as she nuzzled Brittany's neck contentedly. She felt the blonde giggle softly, causing her to only tighten her grip around her waist.

"Santana, Brittany, that's awesome," Finn said with a big smile. "Congratulations. Well, you know, for when it happens."

Santana chuckled. "Thanks. We have a wedding to plan first, though."

"Your parents must be absolutely ecstatic," Rachel said with a smile.

Santana froze.

_Shit! I haven't even told them! After everything that happened this week, I was just so happy in my bubble with B._

"Oh my God, you haven't _told_ them?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"We're going to," Brittany said, saving the day. "They're coming down next weekend. We wanted to tell them in person."

"Thank you," Santana mumbled into her neck, kissing it discreetly.

Brittany scratched the back of Santana's neck in response.

"Mommy! Look at Max!" Bella said suddenly, running out from the bedroom and bouncing excitedly to her chair.

Quinn walked out with her son, who was holding Nemo tightly in his fist.

"Aw, he loves it," Brittany cooed.

"But he shouldn't eat it," Bella said seriously.

"Cos raw fish is yucky, right, Bella?" Quinn said with a smile.

"Totally."

Santana chuckled. "Baby girl, one day we're going to have sushi and you'll change your mind."

Bella turned to her with a horrified look on her face. "Mommy, we're going to eat Nemo?"

Santana's smile dropped at the sight of her daughter's quivering bottom lip and dark eyes starting to fill with tears.

"No, no, _mija_. We'd never eat Nemo. He's too awesome. Plus, don't you think Bruce would come and beat us up if we even tried?"

The tears simmered and a small smile crossed her daughter's face. "He's pretty big. Even if he doesn't eat fish. Fish are friends, not food," she recited.

"Indeed they are," Santana agreed, quietly breathing a sigh of relief at the potential disaster.

"Bella, I think Max wants you to play with him," Quinn said.

Santana looked up and saw Max reaching out to her daughter. The sight made her heart constrict.

"Soon, my love," Brittany whispered. "Soon."

A big part of Santana really didn't want to wait anymore.

* * *

"Quinn and Noah, seeing as how you are the newest additions to our merry band of performers, why don't you start us off?" Rachel suggested.

"Sounds good," Noah said with a grin, holding a hand out for his girlfriend.

"Max, you gotta watch your mommy and daddy now cos they're gonna sing and one day you're gonna be just like them," Bella told her new little friend seriously.

She was sitting between Santana's legs on the floor with Max in her lap. Santana chuckled and continued entwining her fingers with Brittany's over and over again.

"I want to sing you a song," she said softly, her head nestled in her favourite spot.

"Yeah?" Brittany asked, the happiness evident in her voice.

"It's one that I wanted to sing at some point during senior year, but we just never really got the chance to."

"Sounds good, baby," Brittany said, squeezing her closer. "Really good."

Quinn and Noah launched into _Papa Don't Preach_ and Santana had to giggle at the irony of the story behind the song. How things had changed.

The couple finished and Bella clapped loudly, causing Max to jump in surprise. She immediately took his little hands and clapped them for him. He soon realised what he was supposed to do and giggled, clapping long after his parents had sat down.

The sound of keys in the door had everyone looking over. Chloe opened the door and blinked in surprise at the crowd of people.

"Um, hi!"

"Did you have a good time with your friends?" Rachel asked, walking over to hug the girl.

Santana smiled.

"Uh, yeah, it was great. Ben and Hilary are totally hot for each other."

Brittany and Santana both laughed.

"Hi, Ms. L and Ms. S," Chloe said with a grin, walking into the living room.

"Chloe, we're not in school," Santana said. "It's Santana and Brittany, ok?"

Chloe grinned and nodded. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, every month, we have what we call a Glee Night, where we get together and sing songs that we did in high school," Rachel said, so obviously proud that she was the one that had come up with the brilliant idea.

Santana felt Bella shuffle back into her legs and she smiled, opening them a little wider and anchoring her little girl. She felt a hand go around her leg as Bella rested her head against her leg. Her daughter was still scared, but she would go to the ends of the earth to ensure that she never felt neglected again.

"Sounds cool," Chloe said, sitting next to Finn.

"Everyone, this is Chloe Stemmet. She's staying with us. Chloe, this is Kurt, Blaine, you obviously know Santana, Brittany and Bella. Then we have little Max who belongs to Quinn and Noah."

"Wow. Nice to meet you all."

"Hey, seeing as how she's also new, I think she should grace us with a song," Noah said with that trademark grin that hadn't changed one iota.

"I agree!" Brittany called.

"Seconded," Santana said, raising her hand.

"Motion is carried," Noah said, winking at Santana.

She smiled back. It kinda felt like senior year all over again, where they were all happy and excited about graduating (with the underlying sadness, of course), but so much better because all the crazy childish high school bullshit was so forgotten. They were truly friends.

"Um, ok," Chloe said, standing up, her cheeks tinged red. "Rachel, could you show me how to work this thing?"

As Rachel and Chloe selected a song, Santana closed her eyes and just let herself feel the moment. She was so calm, so at peace. She knew that it had everything to do with the blonde she was curled into. Almost as if she could sense that Santana was thinking about her, the arm that was keeping the Latina close to her tightened and Brittany's hand found Santana's, entwining the fingers.

"If I'm this happy, I'm going to have a serious overdose at our wedding," Brittany whispered into her temple.

_Our wedding_.

The thought made Santana's stomach do a full Olympic gymnastics routine. She couldn't wait to make Brittany her wife. She hadn't lied when she'd told Britt that she'd thought about it when they were in high school. Almost nine years later and she had finally put a ring on it and was about to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams.

"We can go into a happy coma together," she murmured into Brittany's neck.

"Does our happy coma have locked doors?" Brittany giggled.

"We don't need locked doors cos we're the only ones in our happy coma land." Santana felt a giggle of her own bubbling up in her throat. She loved how silly she could be with Brittany and not be embarrassed. She knew that her fiancée loved it when she let go of everything and just felt with her. Santana kinda like it too.

"What about Bella?" She could hear the pout in Brittany's voice.

"She's got her own happy coma," Santana decided. "There's a super secret door where only us can go through. So she still has us, but she can be independent."

Brittany smiled into her cheek. "But not for a while, ok? I want us to be a family for a bit."

Santana angled her face up and pressed her lips to Brittany's. They traded soft kisses for a few moments until Kurt snapped them out of it.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! It's not like you two aren't together all the time." There wasn't any irritation in his voice though.

"Shut up, Porcelain," Santana said quietly, burying her face in Brittany's face.

"Something's changed between you two," he mused, ignoring her. "You're so…I don't know, like serene or something."

Santana smiled into Brittany's neck. That would be a pretty good description.

"We are currently living on cloud nine," Brittany answered instead. "We've got our magical rainbow castle and we're going to live there happily ever after with Bella and whomever else might come along."

"I love you," Santana whispered.

Brittany squeezed her in response.

"We're gonna live in the clouds, Mommy?" Bella asked from between her legs.

"Someday, baby," Santana replied.

"I gotta practise my flying," Bella said seriously, rubbing her face against her mother's leg.

Santana knew that was a sign that she was tired. She reluctantly disentangled herself from Brittany to lean forward.

"Come snuggle with us, baby girl," she said in soft Spanish.

Max had long ago left Bella's lap and was crawling around as he explored the living room. Bella stood up and climbed onto Brittany and Santana. She sat across both of their legs, her head resting on her mother's shoulder closest to Brittany. The blonde wrapped an arm around her as the rest of the little Latina's body leant against her.

The sound of several cameras went off and Santana just smiled, surprising everyone with her lack of snarky comments.

"Wow, something really has changed," Finn said.

"It's called being happy, Finn," Santana replied. "You should give it a try sometime," she added with a wink.

"Santana, I will have you know that Finn and I are very-"

"Rachel, I was joking," Santana interrupted with quiet exasperation. "I know you're happy. You're like sickeningly sweet happy. It's a little nauseating at times, but-"

"As if you're any better," Kurt cut in, indicating her current position pointedly.

"Hey, leave Santana alone," Brittany said. "You're just jealous cos of all the awesome sex we still have."

"Brittany!" Santana said, her face heating up. She glanced down at Bella, but her daughter seemed to be asleep already. She hid in her fiancée's neck. "Filter, babe. We're in company."

"Sorry," she murmured. "But it is kinda true."

Santana's shoulders shook as she laughed. "Yeah, B. It's definitely true."

* * *

**A/N: Glee Night's not over yet :) Suggestions for Chloe's song? I already know what Santana's song is going to be…**

**Their whole co-dependency thing is something that is very real. I've experienced it and my friends have too. It can be very awkward in company, but when you're in it, nothing else matters :)**

**Fic corner: I've been reading this fic for the last two days or so…**_**Please**_** go and read it. It is utterly brilliant. It's real. And you guys know how much I enjoy realistic stories. The author is possibly one of the bravest people on this planet because it is never easy writing something autobiographical when you're overcoming intense adversities. So do yourself a favour and read **_**The Road To Unicorn**_** by RainManWithBoobs.**

**Lastly, depending on what happens in tomorrow's episode, I may or may not be functional to update this weekend. We shall see. Hoping to do the next instalment of **_**A Silent Song**_**…**

**God, if Ryan breaks them up, I will hunt him down and kill him…**

**-H**


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: I do apologise for taking so long to update. Life has been crazy. I know it's not an excuse, but some things are unavoidable and I hope you guys know that if I had the choice, I'd spend all day, every day, writing. Also haven't been in the greatest of head spaces of late…motivation seems to have become a big problem :( I really am sorry...I hope my offering will earn your forgiveness...?**

**So I updated last the day before 'The Break Up'. I wrote a response to the episode. It's called **_**Worthy**_**, if you'd like to have a read. **_**Muchos gracias**_** to those who have already reviewed and favourited. Your kind words always put a huge smile on my face :)**

**I'm feeling incredible nostalgic about our show. Have been for the last two weeks. Lucky for you guys, that translates to copious amounts of Brittanella fluff :) And steamy Brittana times ;)**

**Onto part two of Glee Night!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 45**

"Brittany, must I remind you that such comments are not appropriate for teenage ears? Never mind a child. Do you-"

"Rachel, calm down," Santana cut off, glaring at her. "Bella's sleeping. Secondly, I will offer my apologies to Chloe." She nudged Brittany with her elbow. "We all know Britt sometimes lets her mouth run away with her."

"Wanky," Brittany whispered in her ear, low enough for only her to hear.

_Seriously?_

"B, baby, come on. I'm trying to dissolve a sticky situation here. One that you created," Santana scolded, but she reflexively clenched her thighs.

"I repeat. Wanky."

"Jesus," the Latina breathed, turning to meet smouldering blue eyes. It amazed her (and kinda didn't) that Brittany could go from lovey-dovey, cuddling queen to sex kitten in one point two seconds.

She'd be kidding herself if she said she didn't like it.

"Guys!" Quinn said, snapping their sex staring.

"What?" Santana whined.

Chloe chuckled. "Rachel, it's fine. Ms…I mean, Santana and Brittany are hot and in love. It'd be a crime if they weren't having sex."

Santana flushed red, her eyes trained on the stitching of Bella's boots. The silence around the room was deafening.

"Uh, not that I think about that or anything," Chloe mumbled. "Crap. Um, look, I just meant that I'm not an innocent little kid. I understand how the world works. Sure, I haven't experienced it for myself…yet, but I go to high school. You guys all went to high school together. You must have all been informed at age sixteen too. Right?"

Cue another awkward silence. Santana chewed her lip and Brittany just rested her head on her fiancée's shoulder.

"Speaking as an extremely promiscuous teen in my day, Chloe's got a point. Yeah, maybe she doesn't need to know that her teachers are doing the funky chicken, but it's a part of life. At some point in high school, we're all faced with it. Unless you're Rachel."

"God, Noah!" Santana groaned. "I didn't think it was possible that you could've made that any more awkward."

Noah shrugged. "It's a gift."

Quinn hit him over the back of the head and arched an eyebrow in disapproval.

"Anyone up for a song?" Kurt asked, far too brightly.

"Definitely," Chloe agreed, stepping up to the karaoke machine. "So, after much consideration, I've chosen a song that I think has a really strong message, especially for someone like me."

She hit play and Santana smiled at the familiar chords drifting through the speakers.

"It's your strong song, baby," Brittany whispered.

"Yup." Santana tightened her grip on her slumbering daughter and rested her head against Brittany's as Chloe started singing.

_Even through the darkest phase __  
__Be it thick or thin __  
__Always someone marches brave __  
__Here beneath my skin _

_Constant craving __  
__Has always been_

Santana caught Finn's eye and smiled at him. She'd hated him so much for outing her before she was ready. She got that he'd done it out of retaliation – she'd been a bitch to him – and he had tried to make amends by helping her come to terms with her homosexuality.

Lady Music Week had been tough. Not only had Santana been forced to come out to her parents and Abuela, she'd had to deal with narrow-minded idiots at school who figured that Santana Lopez was still as easy as her reputation stated, just that she was open to threesomes.

Like, what the fuck.

After the fifth proposal for a threesome, she'd snapped, reminding everyone _why_ Santana Lopez was to be feared. After that, people didn't bother talking to her. That didn't stop them from sending her looks of disgust when she'd walk down the hallways holding Brittany's hand.

Finn sent her a goofy thumbs up and Santana chuckled to herself. What if he'd never called her out on her greatest fear? What if that stupid pizza guy's niece hadn't heard the exchange? What if that video had never been made? How different would things have been? Would she even have come out in high school? The rest of senior year had been so amazing because she was finally able to publicly embrace the most amazing part of who she was – Brittany.

A small nudge on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to see Brittany smiling at her warmly.

"What are thinking so deeply about?" she whispered in her ear, her voice only just audible over Chloe's singing.

"Just how some bad things can turn out into really good things," she replied, kissing Brittany's cheek.

"I'll drink to that." Brittany snuggled deeper into Santana, careful not to jostle Bella, who had slipped more into her lap now.

"I love you."

"Hmmm, love you, San."

The song ended and Brittany and Santana were forced to break apart to applaud an excellent rendition of Santana's 'strong song', as Brittany had called it.

"I think she may even be on a par with you on that performance, Santana," Quinn teased.

"You sang that song?" Chloe asked, looking a little fearful.

Santana nodded. "When I came out at school, the glee club did a week dedicated to helping me come to terms with my awesomeness, as Finn put it." She smiled at her friend again. "I sang that song to close off the week, after finally accepting that hiding myself was only hurting me and hurting Brittany." She glanced her fiancée, who smiled and linked their fingers. "You did a good job, Chloe. I know how powerful that song is."

The teenager looked relieved and grinned.

"Ok, my turn!" Santana said, clapping her hands.

Brittany quickly pulled Bella completely into her lap carefully and met Santana's beautiful dark eyes. The Latina leaned in and kissed her softly.

"This is for you, baby."

Brittany grinned excitedly. She loved it when Santana sang for her, something the Latina knew very well. She was also excited to serenade her love with something new.

Santana walked to the karaoke machine, quickly searching for the song she had in mind.

"Ok, so you all _obviously_ know that I'm absolutely head over heels for that gorgeous blonde over there," she winked, "and this is a song that I hope illustrates how far we've come."

Santana met Brittany's eyes and held the gaze as the music started.

_You were in college working part time waiting tables__  
__Left a small town, never looked back__  
__I was a flight risk with a fear of falling__  
__Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts_

_I say can you believe it?__  
__As we're lying on the couch__  
__The moment I could see it__  
__Yes, yes, I can see it now_

_Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?__  
__You put your arm around me for the first time__  
__You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter__  
__You are the best thing that's ever been mine_

Santana smiled and her fiancée matched it, her eyes shining happily. They'd come so far since McKinley High and Lima, Ohio. And they were still together. Well, together again. And stronger than ever, ready to spend the rest of their lives together and starting new chapters in their epic love story.

* * *

"Hey, Q, I didn't get a chance to ask you what I wanted to earlier," Santana said, sitting next to her blonde friend.

"I'm surprised you managed to tear yourself away from Brittany's side long enough to do that," she teased.

Santana flushed. "It was hard," she admitted.

"Is it just the proposal or did something else happen?"

"Um, it was something else, but that's kinda between me and Britt."

Quinn smiled. "No problem, Santana. So, what were we talking about earlier?"

"Oh! I was asking you about your book collection. Bella is getting bored at school and I was hoping that you might have something in your collection that she could sink her teeth into."

"Takes after her mother, I see."

Santana blushed. "Not really. She's way smarter than me."

"But she loves reading."

"Yeah, but you and Britt were like the only ones that knew that," Santana countered.

Quinn chuckled. "I'm assuming, Miss English Teacher, that your library is a little advanced for her?"

Santana nodded. "I remember you used to have a huge collection of children's classics. Do you have anything along those lines? I think she'd love them."

"Definitely. I could bring some over tomorrow? Or you could come over for lunch or something?"

"Sure. I'll chat to Brittany and text you." Santana smiled. "Thanks so much, Quinn. I really appreciate this. Bella hates being bored."

"Why not skip a grade?"

"She doesn't want to. She likes her teacher and her friends and I think she thinks that everyone will treat her differently if she skips a grade."

"Now why does that philosophy sound so familiar?" Quinn looked up thoughtfully.

"Shut up," Santana said, smiling and shoving Quinn playfully.

"Mama?"

She immediately looked for the source of her daughter's sleepy voice. She was rubbing her face against Brittany's shoulder as she slowly woke.

"Thanks, Q," Santana said, standing up quickly and rejoining her family on the couch. "Hey, baby girl," she said softly, playing with her daughter's dark curls.

"She wants to go home," Brittany murmured, her hand rubbing small circles on Bella's back.

Santana nodded. "No problem. I'll grab our coats and we'll say our goodbyes."

Brittany nodded and wrapped her arms around Bella, the little girl immediately locking her arms around the blonde's neck and nestling her face in her neck. Brittany smiled at her fiancée who grinned back. It was Santana's favourite spot too.

"Hey, Rach, we're going to head out. Bella's demanding her own bed."

"No problem. Thank you for coming, Santana. And thank you for the wonderful surprise." Rachel smiled in the direction of Quinn playing with Max.

"Yeah," Santana agreed with a smile. "Everything definitely happens for a reason." She glanced at Chloe, who was talking to Kurt and Blaine animatedly, no doubt about the musical. "How are things with Chloe? She seems so happy at school."

The smile on Rachel's face mirrored the one that Santana had seen on Brittany's and most probably her own. It was a proud mother's look. It made Santana very happy. Chloe deserved every happiness.

"She's a gem. I don't what the hell was wrong with her parents. She's bright, _so_ talented and beautiful. For someone who's been treated like crap, she's still incredibly positive, but I think she has you to thank for that. Well, you and Brittany, but mostly you."

Santana flushed and looked down. "Only she has the power to change her outlook on life. I didn't change it for her."

"No, but you definitely guided her to the light," Rachel countered.

"That sounds like something out of a soap opera," Santana chuckled.

Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled. She hugged her friend tightly. "I'm so happy for you. You deserve just as much happiness as Chloe does."

"Thanks, Rachel," Santana murmured, hugging her back. The pulled back and Santana excused herself to continue her farewells around the room. Her friends were, unfortunately, a chatty bunch and it took another twenty minutes before Rachel closed the door behind Santana and Brittany.

Another twenty minutes had them both getting a virtually comatose Bella ready for bed.

"She slept for two hours before we left," Santana mused. "Why is she so sleepy now?"

"I just think it's because she's so active, babe. You remember me when I was her age. I'd pass out at five, wake up for dinner and go straight back to bed. Her body's growing and she's pushing it hard. It needs time to recover."

"My sexy Dr. Britt," Santana teased, leaning over Bella's bed for a short kiss.

Brittany chuckled quietly and shook her head. "At one point you wanted to be a doctor."

"Yeah and then _Grey's Anatomy_ started and I figured that I wasn't cut out for all that drama. It's like high school, but in a hospital."

Her fiancée giggled. "San, you know that's just a show, right?"

Santana shrugged. "That shit looked realistic, ok?"

Brittany tapped her sharply on her shoulder at the slip of profanity. Santana arched an eyebrow. The look in their eyes made them pick up their pace in dressing Bella in her pjs, but still being very gentle. As soon as Brittany pulled Bella's door partially closed, Santana grabbed her hand and pulled her into their bedroom.

"I've been waiting for this ever since we left here earlier," she mumbled in between kisses.

Brittany held her tightly and pushed her against their closed bedroom door. She trailed her lips down Santana's glorious neck, pausing at the pulse point, feeling it vibrate against her lips.

"Britt," Santana whispered, her hands disappearing under her fiancée s shirt in her desperation to feel the smooth skin that she wanted pressed against her own without any clothes.

"I love it when you sing for me," Brittany murmured, her slow kissing driving Santana insane with the impulse to push her back on the bed and take control combated with the feeling of being so completely adored by her fiancée. "I love the words that come out of your mouth. I love how your sexy voice makes my soul vibrate, like it can hear you, like your singing voice was made to find it."

She loved Brittany's words. Her unique way of speaking had simply made Santana fall deeper in love because she knew every underlying message to what she said.

"You always sing for me. You did in high school and you did tonight. So now I want to do something for you. Something that I wanted to do for your eighteenth birthday, but we got too drunk and fell asleep on Sugar's boat."

Santana chuckled a little at that. She really did get completely hammered. So did Brittany. She couldn't even remember how many body shots they'd done off each other that night. She did remember that they were in the bikinis for most of it and she'd woken up very sticky and very naked the next morning with an equally sticky and naked Brittany draped over her.

"Baby, you can do whatever you want," she breathed. "As long as I get to do it with you."

Brittany finally detached her lips from Santana's addictive skin and smiled at her. "But San, this is something _for_ you. I don't think it would have the same impact if you were to join me."

Santana's mind was running through the possibilities. There wasn't much that she and Brittany hadn't done in the bedroom. They'd stayed away from BDSM and that kind of stuff, though. It hadn't interested them in the least.

_Oh my God. What if Britt's gonna whip (whip?!) out a leather suit and start spanking me?_

Santana had to admit that it didn't sound sexy at all. She started breathing a little quickly, but not because of the proximity of her girlfriend.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Brittany asked in concern, seeing the look of panic and nervousness in her eyes.

"N-nothing. Why would anything b-be wrong?"

_Nice, Santana. Way to sound confident._

"San, please tell me?" Brittany begged, her beautiful blue eyes filled with worry.

Santana sighed and cupped her cheek, her heart still racing. She'd feel like an idiot if it turned out she was wrong.

"Britt, this…surprise," she began in a whisper, dropping her eyes in shame. "Does it involve…leather?"

Brittany's eyes widened and she shook her head violently. "San, God, no. I don't like doing that. I thought…I thought you didn't either? Um, I guess if you've become…interested, I-I could m-maybe-"

"Jesus, Britt, no," Santana cut in, relieved. "No, I _definitely_ don't want to do anything like that. My stance hasn't changed. I just…there isn't very much we haven't done, you know?"

Brittany grinned wickedly. "Oh, yeah. That I do know."

Santana rolled her eyes and couldn't help the goofy smile that crossed her face. She loved their sex life. And she loved how Brittany put her at ease so quickly.

"Baby, trust me, ok? There's no leather involved in this, just you and me and very little clothing," Brittany purred, leaning in to kiss her again.

Santana moaned at the images flashing through her head. She absolutely agreed with Brittany's idea, whatever it was. The two of them, naked, flush against each other – yup, she was totally down with that.

She reached down for the hem of Brittany's shirt and started to tug it up, but the blonde grabbed her wrists and placed them above her head, never breaking their intense kiss.

Santana was breathless, but couldn't tear herself from Brittany's lips. They were too addictive. Eventually, he blonde started trailing her swollen lips back down to Santana's pulse point, which was now thudding away merrily. She sucked hard and made Santana hiss and moan at the same time. That was going to leave a mark.

"Do you trust me?" Brittany asked in a heavy whisper.

Santana met her eyes and nodded, licking her lips. The movement caused Brittany's gaze to flicker down to them and she stuck her tongue out, tracing the tip over her fiancée's plump lips. A rush of arousal soared through Santana and her knees felt a little like jelly.

Brittany released her wrists and ran her hands down Santana's arms and sensually down the sides of her body, stopping at the hem of the blouse that the Latina had thrown on after their hurried shower earlier. Santana kept her arms up as Brittany lifted the blouse up and over her head, dropping it on the floor. Her hands rested on Santana's waist and she stepped closer so that her heaving chest was right against her own. It felt amazing.

Brittany captured Santana's mouth again and the Latina's hands didn't stay above her head for long. Tan fingers embedded themselves in blonde locks as they kissed furiously, letting passion completely fuel their desire for one another.

The next thing Santana knew was that her pants were pooling at her feet and she stepped out of them automatically, kicking her shoes off. They only had a short heel so the height levels weren't major. In fact, Santana's disrobing didn't seem to distract them from continuing their kissing marathon. Brittany slowly turned them around, not towards the bed, but towards their dressing table. Santana was completely wrapped up in her fiancée that she didn't really notice. She did when she felt Brittany grabbing behind her for something.

"What are you looking for, B?" she asked, breathing heavily.

"Got it," Brittany mumbled, joining their lips again.

Santana moaned in pleasure. God, Brittany's mouth was seriously the most talented thing in the world. She swore it had something to do with the fact that she was a dancer and could manipulate her body the way she could. Oh, could she manipulate her body. Just that reminder alone sent glorious shivers through the Latina's body. She was sure that her fiancée employed that same talent with her mouth. It was just so…yummy. Those lips, that _tongue_…

She shivered again and it made Brittany pull away and giggle. "Baby, you feel like you're about to come."

Santana groaned and buried her face in Brittany's neck, inhaling her aroused scent deeply. "I'm so turned on right now. And all I can think about is your body and your mouth and your tongue and how they all do insane things to me."

"Well, then you'll really enjoy this," Brittany stated, guiding her back and into their dressing table chair. She'd pulled it away from the furniture and it now stood in the middle of the room. "You comfy?"

Santana nodded in confusion. As comfortable as she could be in her underwear with her fiancée still fully dressed and about to do something she had no idea about.

"Babe, you're gonna love this. I've wanted to do this for so long and I only ever wanted to do it for you."

That made Santana smile wide. Other than the basic lesbian checklist, they hadn't had many firsts together, so this was extra special, especially because Britt had wanted to do it eight years previously. She sat a little forward on the chair, her excitement building.

Brittany walked over the iHome and selected a few songs for a playlist. She gave Santana a sultry wink before kicking her shoes off as the opening notes of _Maneater_ played softly through the speakers.

Santana rose an eyebrow at the song choice, but any and every thought went out of head when Brittany started stalking towards her, rolling her hips suggestively.

_Oh, God. If this is what I think it is, I'm about to be the happiest girl in the entire fucking world. Well, more than I already am._

She met Brittany's eyes and swallowed at how dark they were. Her fiancée dropped onto her haunches right in front of her and arched her body forward, thrusting her chest in Santana's face. She clenched the sides of the chairs. Was she allowed to touch? God, she really wanted to touch.

"Like what you see, honey?" Brittany asked, her voice several octaves lower and _holy shit_ it was so hot.

"Uh huh," Santana mumbled.

"I'm glad," Brittany continued, moving her body to the beat of the song as she slowly lifted her shirt, "because this is _all_ for you."

Santana whimpered and squeezed her legs tightly together. This was such a turn on. Brittany dancing was already sex on legs. Now she was getting a frigging _private_ dance. All for her.

Brittany knelt in front of Santana and raised her arms, her body still moving perfectly to the song. The Latina didn't waste any time and relieved her fiancée of her shirt. She didn't dare do anything more, though.

Brittany leaned forward and pecked her nose in thanks and jumped up, her hands on Santana's knees forcing them open. She gasped as Brittany straddled her, but standing and grinding up and down.

Santana wanted to shut her eyes with exertion of trying desperately not to come – she honestly felt so close – but she refused to miss any of the show. Brittany dropped her head to Santana's ear, her breath loud. "This is your show, my love. You're allowed to touch me."

_Oh, thank God._

Santana's hand immediately flew to Brittany's denim clad thighs, squeezing them as she felt the muscles clench every time she moved up and down her body. The sensation of Brittany rubbing their torsos together was sending shots of heat down to Santana's core and she had to grab her fiancée's face and crash their lips to distract herself somewhat. Brittany, being as multitalented as she was, simply continued her dance as she returned the heated kiss.

"Baby, we're going to have a problem if you carry on doing that," Santana eventually gasped.

Brittany grinned and ground down hard, the rough denim scraping the most sensitive part of Santana in her lace underwear.

"Oooh!" she moaned, curling her toes.

This was ridiculous! She wasn't some teenage boy who couldn't hold his load! She'd never had a problem prolonging her release with Brittany. Granted, the blonde always had a way of coaxing the most amazing orgasm from her in half the time it would take her own hand to do it – boys hadn't even come close.

"Britt!" she squeaked as her fiancée rolled her hips against her again.

"Baby, this is a lap dance. I'd be worried of you weren't getting seriously turned on from it."

"No, that's not the problem," Santana replied through gritted teeth.

Brittany pressed their bodies together and slowly moved up until Santana's breath was hitting just underneath her breasts. Her hands were squeezing her thighs so tightly that she was probably going to have marks, but she sure as hell didn't care. She'd love it if Santana would just let go.

"Baby, do you know what the sexiest thing in world would be right now?" she husked, dancing slowly back down Santana's body. She paused when their faces were close. "It would be _so_ sexy of you came without me even touching you."

"Oh my God," Santana squeaked, her hands moving to Brittany's hips. Her nails dug into the bare flesh and Brittany felt a jolt of pleasure at the sensation.

She kept her eyes on the Latina as she dropped her hips once more, slowly raking her jeans over Santana's heated core – she could feel it through her pants.

"Oh, fuck!" Santana cried out, throwing her head back as her body shook in pleasure.

Brittany grinned triumphantly, her eyes running all over Santana's face as she took in the myriad of emotions that she experienced as she came.

Santana could hardly breath when she opened her eyes. She met Brittany's sparkling blue eyes that looked almost black in the low lighting.

"That was so fucking hot," Brittany whispered, grinding down once more before shuffling off her.

Santana frowned in confusion. Where was she going? Her body was still twitching a little, but her eyes were still working fine and they widened when Brittany seductively unbuttoned her jeans slowly, keeping eye contact. She pushed them down her long, smooth legs and stepped out of them.

_Holy crap. I'm marrying the sexiest woman in the entire fucking universe_.

That thought was enough to kick start Santana's muscles into working mode again and she sat up, ignoring the very obvious stickiness between her legs.

Brittany sauntered over to her again, spinning around so that her shaking ass was dancing right in front of Santana's face. She licked her lips in anticipation. And then Brittany backed into her, dropping down and slowly grinding up her body, her ass nestling very comfortably against Santana's soaked underwear.

"Jesus," she hissed.

She was sensitive, but she didn't care because it felt _so _fucking good to have Brittany grinding against her. Her hands trailed up the expanse of her fiancée's gorgeous back and hesitated on the clasp of her bra. Brittany didn't protest so Santana undid it and watched as the blonde goddess above her shook it off. She turned around, smiling at Santana, whose eyes immediately dropped to the perky, perfect breasts just in reach.

The song changed and Brittany extended one long leg over one of Santana's and started rolling her hips in time to the quick beat. The Latina's arousal spiked again. Brittany was seriously the sexiest dancer on the planet.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Brittany asked, her breathing a little heavy.

"Fucking fantastic," Santana breathed back, her eyes following Brittany's breasts as they bounced along with her body. She bit her lip.

In what seemed like a rehearsed move, Brittany spun away from Santana's leg and fell to her knees in front of her. Santana instinctively opened her legs wider as Brittany continued her sultry dancing on her knees. God, it was sexy.

Santana's jaw dropped as she watched Brittany, still on her knees, hook her thumbs into her underwear and slowly start pulling them down. The blonde smirked before rolling onto her back in a backward roll and landing on her feet a foot or two away, completely naked.

_Best. Lap dance. Ever._

Brittany dropped her underwear to the floor and danced over to her speechless fiancée. She straddled Santana again, rubbing her pussy against Santana's bare stomach. She moaned at the trail of wetness that was left behind.

Santana gripped her waist and slowly forced Brittany to cease her movements and stay sitting in her lap. Their eyes met and Santana wasted no time in leaning forward to kiss her. Brittany reciprocated immediately, her arms going around Santana's neck and anchoring them together.

After a few minutes of fiery making out, Santana's hands went to her own bra and unsnapped it. Without breaking their kiss, Brittany helped her get it off. She lifted her hips slightly so that Santana could slip her underwear off.

"Baby, I want to feel you," Brittany whispered as Santana's lips left hot kisses on her neck. She hardly had time to react before Santana was standing up. Instinctively, Brittany's legs tightened around her waist and in no time, her back was against soft sheets. She hummed in approval and sat up so that Santana was now straddling her.

Lips and hands were roaming more freely now. Hips were rolling hard and both women were grunting in pleasure.

"Baby, now, please," Brittany begged.

Santana immediately obliged, lifting Brittany's one leg over hers and shuffling closer so that their soaked cores met with a delicious squelch.

"Fuck," Santana moaned, immediately starting to rock her hips.

Brittany fell back on the bed, the sensations running through her body too much for her to handle. Santana just watched her from above as she started thrusting into Brittany, their clits hitting each other on every push.

_Thank God for Britt's flexibility_, Santana thought as she lifted her fiancée's leg even higher so that she could thrust harder.

"Fuck!" Brittany moaned, arching her back. "San, baby, that feels so good."

Santana could feel herself getting very close again and she figured, with all the foreplay they'd done, Brittany wasn't far off either. Her stomach muscles tightened and she gasped, almost faltering on her thrusts with the pleasure shooting through her body.

"Yes! Yes!" Brittany chanted. "Almost…"

Santana altered her angle slightly so that their pussies slid against each other. She started at the bottom of Brittany slit and rolled her way up, finally settling her clit and staying there.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Santana!" Brittany cried, lifting her hips up and shuddering.

Santana got one final thrust in as she felt the most incredible feeling release.

"Oh, God. Brittany!" she moaned, her hips rocking against her fiancée as she came.

Her eyes were almost closed when she felt warm liquid squeezing up between them. Their eyes met.

"Did you?" they both asked, trying to get their breath back.

"It's entirely possible that I did," Santana said, resting her sweaty forehead against Brittany's leg.

"Oh, baby, me too," Brittany replied. "C'mere."

Slowly, Santana brought her fiancée's leg back down to the bed and it caused them to separate. They both moaned and Santana looked down. She felt herself blushing at the amount of cum and wetness there was on the comforter.

"Um, baby, we should get something on this or it'll stain," she suggested.

"No fucking way," Brittany replied, her voice already laced with sleep. "Get your sexy ass down here now."

Santana grinned and disentangled herself from Brittany's legs, crawling next to her. Damn, her legs were gonna hurt tomorrow. She pushed down the comforter and pulled it over their bodies, but only to their waists. She was still feeling exceptionally warm from the night's activities.

Santana curled into Brittany. "Baby, that was so amazing. I can't even thank you enough."

"Hmmm," Brittany agreed with a sleepy smile. She turned her head on the pillow and puckered her lips.

Santana giggled and leaned up to kiss them.

"Three firsts in one night," the blonde murmured, shuffling onto her side so that she was facing Santana.

"Three?"

"Lap dance, squirting and you coming without me touching you." Brittany replied with a yawn.

Santana flushed. She still couldn't believe that she'd let that happen. Damn Brittany and her sexy voice.

"Baby, don't worry about it, please?" Of course Brittany would know. "It was seriously _so_ hot. Pretty sure that alone could've made me come."

_Wow._

"This night is so creeping up into the top three," Santana murmured, leaning forward to softly nuzzle Brittany's face. The blonde's eyes were already closed, but she smiled.

"Yeah, we can slot it in at number three," she murmured. "Turn, baby. I wanna hold you."

Santana gladly turned around, snuggling back into Brittany, who slipped her left arm under Santana's head and wrapped her right arm around her waist, keeping her close.

"I love you, Brittany Pierce."

"Hmmm." Brittany's lips rested against her bare shoulder. "Lopez," she whispered.

"What?"

"I want to be yours," she mumbled. "I want to be completely yours. Love you."

Santana didn't turn around, but tightened Brittany's arm around her and linked their fingers.

_Brittany and Santana Lopez_.

Sounded pretty fucking awesome.

* * *

**A/N: So, am I forgiven? ;p**

**We're going to have a time jump after this. Just a little one.**

**Something popped into my head as Santana was recalling her 18****th**** birthday and I thought that it might be interesting. Once this story is done, I was thinking that I could write a series of one-shots about certain events in their history – Santana's 18****th**** birthday, her 11****th**** birthday, their first meeting, etc… Events that have been mentioned in this fic, but never explored in depth because it wasn't necessary. What do you guys think?**


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: Hey guys! :) Quicker than usual because you guys are AWESOME! Extra long chapter to say a great big THANK YOU.**

**Ok so WOW. 1000 reviews :D Special mention to my tied 1000****th**** reviewers: InLoveWithBrittana and blueaske. Of course, everyone who left a review will have a special place in my heart. Yes, every single one of you :) This journey that I've taken with you has been the best one of my life (so far ;p).**

**Little info on what's to come. When **_**A Different Life**_** does come to an eventual end (I know…tear :'(…), I'm definitely going to do those one shots and **_**then**_**, we'll be heading into the sequel. Cos come on…we can't leave these girls alone ;) I have all sorts of plans in my head :)**

**As I mentioned, a small time jump. About a month, so now we're at the end of May…ish ;) So that means someone's celebrating a big day… :) Prepare yourselves. We got fluff ahead, guys and girls (probably mostly girls). Like **_**serious**_** fluff. You have been warned :p**

**Onward and up and ENJOY!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 46**

Brittany smiled as she awoke to soft kisses across her naked back. It was possibly her favourite way to be woken up because she knew that there would only ever be one person that she woke up to who loved to kiss her back. She tried to keep still and savour the glorious feeling, but Santana knew her too well.

"I know you're awake," she sang in that sexy raspy morning voice that made Brittany's insides stir in a very, very good way.

The kisses continued and became a little more adventurous. Soon, Brittany felt the light sheet over her thrown off and she let out a surprised giggle when Santana's lips were grazing her butt.

"San, what are you doing?" she chuckled, her voice half muffled by the pillow she was lying on.

"I'm adoring the most beautiful woman in the world," Santana replied innocently. "She also happens to be my fiancée." Brittany smiled as the most amazing lips in the world made their way back up her body until she could feel Santana's naked body pressed against her back. "She also happens to have a birthday today."

Brittany grinned and groaned in protest as she turned around. She didn't regret it, though. Santana was soon flush with her she pressed their mouths together in a sensual good morning kiss.

"Happy birthday, B," she said lovingly. "I'm so glad I get to spend it with you. So very, very, very, _very_ glad." She punctuated each word with a kiss along Brittany's neck.

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana and started trailing her fingers along the naked expanse of her back. She let her fiancée kiss her again, lazily exploring her mouth with her tongue. Not that she needed to do much exploring – Santana's tongue knew Brittany's mouth inside and out.

"What does my gorgeous fiancée want to do first on her most special day?"

The blonde grinned. "What's the time?"

Santana matched it, knowing exactly how Brittany's mind worked. "It's five-thirty."

"Soooo, that gives us two hours?" Brittany asked innocently.

"Roughly." Santana ended the word with a nip of Brittany's bottom lip. "What do you want to do for two hours?"

"You." Brittany rolled Santana over and immediately intensified their kissing.

After about five minutes of heavenly making out and some serious hand wandering, Brittany pulled away to quickly lean over to her bedside table and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out their strap on.

Ever since they'd reintroduced it into their cocoon, it had gotten a lot of use. Brittany had something very specific in mind, though. She quickly rolled off Santana and pulled the harness on, fastening the belts.

"Where do you want me, baby?" Santana asked seductively, lifting herself onto her elbow and trailing a solitary finger down Brittany's arm.

The blonde clenched her thighs (not that it helped with a strap on in the way) at the myriad of thoughts that raced through her head with that simple question.

She finally found her voice though. "I want you to ride me until you come and then I want to take you from behind."

"Mmmm," Santana hummed, a sexy smirk on her face. "I like it when you dominate me, Britt. It's very…possessive of you."

Brittany couldn't stop the shudder of pleasure that raced through her body as she watched Santana make a big show of straddling her, giving the blonde a very good view of her _very_ wet pussy.

"Oh my God," she moaned, her hands settling on Santana's hips. "Ride me hard and fast, baby. You look so unbelievably hot when you're above me and I can see all of you."

"Yeah?" Santana asked, lifting her hips and hovering above the dildo. She lifted a hand into her hair, tilting her head.

_Holy crap. My fiancée is sex on legs_, Brittany thought, her eyes glued to Santana's pussy as she lowered herself onto the dildo. They both moaned – Santana from the feeling and Brittany from the sight.

"So hot," she whispered.

Santana grinned and started rolling her hips. It didn't take long for her to pick up a quick pace. Brittany's heart constricted as she watched her beautiful Latina rocking above her, her rambunctious (God, she loved that word) breasts bouncing with every thrust. As soon as Santana's moans became more throaty, Brittany knew she was close and moved her hips harder against Santana's.

"Oh, Jesus, Britt," Santana whispered, squeezing her eyes closed. "Oh my God, I love having you inside me."

Brittany bit her lip. She sure as hell loved being inside Santana too. Almost as much as she loved Santana being inside her. That thought snapped any restraint she was holding back and she moved Santana's hips up and down roughly over the dildo.

"Fuck!" Santana squeaked. "Britt…Britt…I'm gonna…I'm…"

Brittany thrust up as far as she could, clenching her stomach muscles so that she could sit up and hold Santana against her as she flew over the edge.

Santana dropped her head on Brittany's shoulder as she caught her breath.

"Wow," she said breathily. "You never disappoint, baby. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. I love you."

Brittany kissed her neck. "I love you too. Sit up for me."

Santana obeyed and pushed herself onto her knees, causing the dildo the slip out. Brittany chuckled and kissed the pout on her fiancée's lips at the loss.

"Don't worry, my love. You'll get it back in a few seconds."

"On all fours?" Santana asked, smiling lovingly at her.

"Slight change of plan."

Brittany slid out from underneath Santana and moved to kneel behind her, widening her legs to give her a good support base. She leaned slightly forward and peppered soft kisses over Santana's back in the same way that she'd been woken up.

Santana hummed in pleasure and the sound just increased Brittany's need. She gripped Santana's hips again and guided her backwards into her lap.

"Oh, I like this," Santana said with a giggle.

"Me too," Brittany replied huskily, pressing her breasts into Santana's back. "Up and on, baby."

Santana complied and used a hand to guide the dildo back towards her entrance. She sighed audibly as she sunk back onto it, the new angle hitting an altogether different spot inside her, but just as pleasurable. Well, that's only because Brittany was on the other end of the strap on.

Brittany coaxed her hips to start moving by rocking her own slowly. They took their time, enjoying the feeling of being pressed together, front to back. Brittany's thrusts became harder and deeper, causing Santana to shake with pleasure. The blonde brought a hand around and just let her middle finger rest on Santana's clit, causing her to jerk on every thrust.

"Baby, baby, please come with me," Santana begged, her arms rising over her head to grip Brittany's neck and keep her close. "Oh, God, I want to feel you come with me."

"As you wish, _mi amor_," Brittany whispered in her ear, altering her angle of penetration slightly so that the bottom of Santana's ass would hit her clit with full force on every thrust. She continued with the long and deep thrusts, drawing it out longer for Santana and building her higher. She could feel her core tightening and she kept her finger on Santana's clit and she concentrated on her movements.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "San, fuck!"

She thrust up once and Santana shattered in front of her. She smiled and pressed a little harder on her clit and thrust another two times, sending her into another orgasm.

"Fuck, Brittany!" Santana moaned, her body twitching uncontrollably. Using whatever strength she had left, she ground back into Brittany, the pressure on her clit finally sending her into blissful heaven.

Santana leaned forward, bracing herself on the headboard and Brittany just rested against her back, taking deep breaths and cherishing the racing heartbeat beneath her fingertips. She loved that she could feel San's heartbeat in so many places on her body. Her favourite was obviously at the point of origin. A close second would be the pulse point that she loved to mark and third would be in Santana's clit, the pinnacle of the jungle gym in Brittany's playground.

"Happy birthday to me," Brittany finally said with a big grin. "Can it be my birthday every day?"

Santana chuckled and it sent delicious little aftershocks through her. "Baby, the amount of times you get laid, it _is_ your birthday every day."

"So today's not special?" Brittany asked, her pout evident in her voice. She was only teasing, though.

"Oh, no, no, no. Today is _super_ special, B," Santana replied hurriedly, wrapping Brittany's arms around her and squeezing.

"I know." The blonde pressed two kisses to Santana's sweaty back. "It's always special when I'm with you, though. You're the best present I could ever ask for."

She knew Santana was smiling. They held each other, Brittany still buried deep inside her, for a few more minutes before Santana suggested a shower.

Another half an hour and two amazing orgasms later, Santana reluctantly dressed and moved into the kitchen to make Brittany's birthday breakfast.

They were never more than a few inches away from each other, always touching somehow. Brittany wanted to help, but Santana insisted that the birthday girl wasn't allowed to cook.

"So does that mean I get to wait on you hand and foot in August?" she murmured, her face buried in her fiancée's neck.

"Sure, baby," Santana replied, keeping an eye on the omelette and she help Brittany in a loving embrace.

"So, what's the plan today?"

"Well, school as per normal, and then tonight we've been invited out to the dinner by everyone, but I leave that decision to you. I do have a special something planned for afterwards. For just the three of us."

"Yeah?" Brittany asked with a smile.

"Hmmm. So you can choose if you want to go out or if you want to stay in."

"We haven't had a nice dinner out in a while. And I miss our friends. It seems like we only really get to spend time together on Glee Nights."

"Everyone's lives are just so busy," Santana mused. "At least we have Glee Nights. We'd hardly see each other otherwise."

"True. Ok, so we're going to dinner and then some us time after?"

Santana smiled and kissed her. "Sounds perfect, babe."

* * *

Brittany was getting ready for work and Santana, already dressed, snuck into Bella's room, nuzzling her awake.

"Morning, baby girl," she whispered.

Bella smiled and stretched. Her eyes suddenly flew open. "Mama! It's today!" she whispered excitedly.

Santana grinned back at her. "Yes, it is, baby girl. Now, you remember the plan, right? And no spilling of the surprise."

She held up a pinkie and Bella grabbed it solemnly with her own. "I promise, Mommy. I can totally keep a secret like a ninja."

"That's cos you _are_ a ninja," she said affectionately. "Come on. I'm sure the birthday girl has been waiting for a super special birthday wish from her best friend."

Bella jumped out of bed and ran into Santana and Brittany's bedroom. Santana followed quickly, not wanting to miss any interaction between her two girls.

"Happy birthday, Britt!" Bella shouted, climbing onto the bed and jumping into Brittany's waiting arms.

"Aw, thank you, Little B. What a great birthday wish," Brittany said with a big smile.

Bella squeezed her tightly. "Mommy, did you give Britt her present yet?" she asked.

"Of course not!" Santana scoffed. "I wouldn't dare do that without you in the room."

"Ok, good," Bella said, clapping her hands.

"Baby, you didn't have to get me anything," Brittany scolded. "I got my present this morning," she added with a sultry wink.

Santana blushed as red a Latina could go and she knelt next to the bed and pulled out a large square wrapped package.

"Ok, so treat it carefully," Santana warned, handing it to an ecstatic Brittany. She smiled. Her fiancée could profess to not want anything, but she _loved_ presents. Much like her daughter.

"This one's from Mommy and me, but more from Mommy cos the present you're getting tonight is more from me," Bella said, sending her mother a worried look. When Santana gave her a thumbs up, she relaxed and focused on Brittany opening her gift.

"Tonight, huh? So does this have something to do with the special evening planned for the three of us?" Brittany fished, sliding a nail under the first piece of paper.

Santana sent Bella a knowing look and her daughter smiled. "Nice try, Big B, but you're gonna have to wait cos I'm a ninja secret keeper."

Brittany laughed. "Little B, I can't seem to open this by myself. You think you could give me a hand?"

Santana nodded her approval and she smiled as her two girls attacked the paper. Bella was so scared of Britt finding out what her gift was and ruining the big surprise that she double-checked everything with Santana. She thought it was adorable. And she knew that Britt was going to _love_ her gifts.

"Oh, San," Brittany murmured, running her hand over the glass. She lifted the large photo frame out of the paper and Santana quickly pushed the ripped paper to the floor so that the blonde could properly look at her gift.

Santana leaned against the dressing table and just watched as Brittany scanned every single picture on the huge collage that she'd made of them since they'd known each other until now. Her parents had found old pictures, she'd scoured the old school yearbooks, called up Brittany's parents, who were in Africa somewhere, chatted to her sister and, of course, all their friends.

"Santana." Brittany looked up at her with tears in her gorgeous blue eyes. "This is just…it's so perfect. Thank you." She gently placed the frame on the bed and stood up, walking over to her fiancée.

Santana just smiled and opened her arms for Brittany to fall into.

"You're so perfect," she mumbled into her shoulder, "and you're so good to me."

"Because I love you, silly," Santana said with a smile, kissing blonde hair. "And you're perfect. You're perfect for me and you're perfect for us."

Brittany pulled away and stared into her fiancée's eyes for a long time before leaning in and kissing her tenderly.

"I love you," she whispered when she pulled away. "This has been the most amazing birthday already."

"Well, baby, my fiancée gets only the best on her birthday, so prepare to be thoroughly spoilt."

Brittany laughed. "Is it bad if I say that I can't wait?"

"No, you're totally allowed!" Bella chirped from the bed, still pouring over the large picture.

"San, how did you even find time to do this?" Brittany asked in wonder, pulling her into her arms.

"Well, you know those friends we hardly ever see?" Santana teased. "They kept all the pictures that I managed to find and Chloe helped create the collage. She's artistic like that. It kinda lived at Rachel's place right up until I picked it up from the framer's yesterday."

"My baby's a super sexy secret ninja with her stealthy presents," Brittany said in a low voice, pressing her lips to Santana's cheek.

The Latina smiled and kissed her on the lips. "So you like it, huh? Your parents had to wrack their brains to remember where some of those really early photos were from middle school and such and then my mom went over to their house and fetched them and couriered them down to me."

"You went to so much trouble," Brittany said in awe.

"Never. For you, I would do anything, Britt."

They shared a short kiss, Santana glancing at the clock when they broke apart.

"_Mija_! _Ve y vístete_! We're going to be late, _por favor_."

"Ok!" Bella said, jumping off the bed and running into her room.

Brittany folded Santana in her arms and caught her lips in a passionate kiss, leaving the Latina light-headed and breathless.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Yeah, well, if this day gets any better, prepare to have your world rocked tonight, Santana Lopez."

"Oh," she murmured, delicious thoughts running through her mind.

Brittany kissed her again, letting her hands travel over her fiancée's body, making Santana feel like she was naked.

"Jesus, B. One touch and I'm aching for you."

"Yeah?" Brittany asked with a smirk.

"You have _no_ idea how much you turn me on just by being you. And then you kiss me and touch me and I just want ravage you right then and there."

Brittany swallowed at Santana's passionate words and the Latina bit her lip, their darkened orbs locking.

"I'm gonna go and wait in the living room," Santana eventually whispered. "Otherwise we'll never get out of here."

"Probably a good idea," she heard Brittany mutter. "San, before you go."

Santana turned around and was met with a forceful, hungry kiss. She immediately returned the eagerness with interest until they were both gasping for breath.

"I'll never get tired of wanting you as much as I do," Santana whispered in her ear. "Even when we're ninety and wrinkled, I'll make sure that I can touch you."

"Oh my God," Brittany whimpered.

"Baby, I'm not trying to turn you on, I'm sorry," Santana apologised. "I just…I want to express how I feel all the time, especially when it's so powerful."

"I know," Brittany replied, nodding. "And trust me, baby, the feeling is _so_ mutual. In every possible way."

Santana smiled and leaned in for one last peck. "See you just now."

Brittany nodded and just watched Santana walk out, her eyes firmly glued to her ass.

* * *

"Ok, guys, eight days till curtain up," Santana said once she reached the stage. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your tireless hard work and dedication to making this musical a success." She clapped her hands. "Ok, so opening night is next Friday. We have today's full dress rehearsal, Friday's full run through, and then one final full dress rehearsal next Tuesday before opening night next Thursday. I'm happy to make myself available if anybody wants to go over some songs or just get a little extra practice in, but honestly guys, I think this musical is gonna rock."

The cast cheered in agreement.

"Ok, Ms. Pierce and I are going to be your audience today. We've run through the numbers, your entries and exits tirelessly and I have full confidence that you're going to make me proud."

Brittany nudged her and smiled proudly. Santana winked back.

"Oh, lest we forget, I believe it's a very special day for our choreographer," Santana added, stepping out of Brittany's immediate reach, knowing she'd try and grab her.

"No, San, I didn't want-"

"Uh uh," Santana said with a smirk, wagging her finger. "Your birthday is a momentous occasion and, as agreed by the entire cast, we're dedicating opening night to you."

Brittany's mouth dropped open. "G-Guys, that's so amazing. Thank you. Wow. But _we_ made this work. Without you there would be no musical."

"And who came up with the idea, hmmm?" Santana interjected, raising an eyebrow.

"Ms. P, it's pointless arguing with Ms. L or us," Hilary said, matter-of-factly.

Santana giggled.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "I know you were the mastermind behind this," she said to her fiancée.

Santana shrugged nonchalantly, but the gleam in her eyes gave her away.

"Kids, avert you eyes for three seconds," Brittany announced, reaching out and grabbing Santana, pulling her to her and joining their lips together.

Before Santana could blink, it was over and Brittany was hugging her tightly.

"I'm so thankful for you."

"Aw, B. Me too. Let's not forget that this musical brought us back together. Well, it started the journey and that's all thanks to you."

Brittany pulled away and smiled, nodding. "Guess that was a pretty good idea, huh?"

Santana winked. "The best, baby."

"You guys are like the cutest thing ever," one of the cheerleaders said, looking a little grumpy.

"Um, sorry, guys," Santana said, clearing her throat and stepping away from Brittany with an apologetic look.

"Why do you guys keep apologising when you do stuff like that?" another cheerleader asked curiously. "It's not in our faces and you're not like, dinosaur old. It's doesn't make me uncomfortable and I'm pretty sure most people here would agree."

"Plus, it's kinda nice to see two adults so in love with each other," Chloe added quietly, looking down. "Not everyone gets to grow up with two loving parents."

Santana sent her a sympathetic pout and pulled the teenager in for a hug.

"Group hug!" Brittany cheered, grinning as the entire cast gathered around for a massive group hug.

Santana loved that the cast of the musical had become like a family. True friendships had been forged and even a few relationships. She was more determined than ever to start a glee club at the school the following year. Yeah, she and Brittany were popular, but the other teachers didn't look down on them because they were genuine and hardworking. They treated the students with respect and received it in return.

And, hey, they were hot.

"Ok, enough love for now," Santana said in a clear voice. "Ms. Pierce and I have an important dinner to get to tonight and Snixx ain't gonna be too happy if you make her late."

The harmless threat was enough to get everyone moving. Santana chuckled and took Brittany's hand and led her down to the seats, picking a spot in the middle.

"I think your glee circle was a really good idea, San," Brittany whispered as they sat down.

"Yeah?" Santana asked. "I just figured that these kids needed a safe space and Glee was that space for us. This school doesn't have that yet, but you've given them an avenue. First the dance studio, then the musical. You've turned this school on its head, Britt, and people are noticing."

"No matter," Brittany shrugged.

"Why?" Santana chuckled.

"Cos I only have eyes for you, baby." Brittany's voice dripped with cheese and it made Santana giggle.

"Ok, baby, let's concentrate. First full dress rehearsal without direction."

"You did great, babe. They're gonna kill it."

Santana nodded to herself as the lights dimmed. "Let's hope."

* * *

"Holy hot damn," Santana muttered to herself as she walked into the bedroom and saw her fiancée.

Brittany giggled and eyed her up and down. "I could say the exact same thing, babe. But, you know, probably with a lot more fucks."

Santana's jaw dropped and Brittany grinned mischievously. She cautiously walked to the dressing table and picked up her blush.

"So, this dinner…"

"What about it?" Santana asked, applying a gentle brush over her cheeks.

"Just the friends, right?"

"Yup. Just the McKinley crowd. Why?" Santana asked with a frown.

"No, I just got a text from Darren. You remember him?"

Santana nodded.

"He said 'See you later'."

Santana cocked her head. "Maybe he figured you'd go out clubbing? I mean, that's what you used to do, right?"

"Yeah. I dunno. I just have this funny feeling."

"Funny feeling?"

"Like I'm being kept out of the loop about something. I don't like that."

Santana wrapped an arm around her and kissed her shoulder. "Baby, don't forget that Bella still has her present tonight. Maybe that's it?"

Brittany shrugged. "Maybe."

Santana gave her a warm smile and willed herself to remain calm. She couldn't give away anything. Not after working so hard to make everything perfect.

"Mama, I'm ready!" Bella announced, walking into their room and jumping onto the bed.

"Well, look at you," Santana said in admiration. "Britt, don't you think she looks absolutely gorgeous?"

Brittany smiled. "Like mother, like daughter," she replied, kissing Santana's cheek.

Once she'd turned back to the mirror, Santana caught her daughter's excited smile and winked.

* * *

"We haven't been to this restaurant before, have we, Mama?" Bella asked, landing on the ground with a grin.

Santana and Brittany swung her back and forth between them as they walked the short distance from their apartment to the restaurant. Santana loved how central their home was to everything.

"Not that I can remember, baby. But you know Kurt. He likes to challenge his taste buds."

Brittany and Bella both giggled and Santana almost melted at how adorable they sounded together.

"Hey, Big B?"

"What's up, Little B?"

"If you could have one dream come true in the world, what would it be?"

"Hmmm." Brittany's brows furrowed as she thought.

"You don't know off the top of your head, babe?" Santana queried.

"Well, here's the things about dreams, right? By association, they're supposed to be something so far out there that _might_ be attainable someday, but the chances aren't really that high. So when people ask me what my dreams are, I do have to think."

"What about us getting married and having a baby?" Santana asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, we're engaged, so I'm pretty sure that we're gonna be getting married. And I know that our baby is definitely in the near future too. Why label it a dream when it's not a dream, it's my reality." She smiled warmly at her fiancée.

Santana smiled bashfully and dropped her gaze. She still found it amazing that after twenty plus years of knowing each other, Brittany still made her blush like a schoolgirl. And _often_.

"Is this it?" Bella asked.

Santana looked up at the name and nodded. "Yup, this is it. Birthday girl, would you please go first?" she said graciously, curtsying.

"You're such a dork, San," Brittany giggled, kissing her bent head.

"You love that I'm a dork," Santana grumbled, following her inside, Bella's hand tightly in hers.

* * *

Brittany glanced around. For a swanky restaurant, this place was empty.

"San, are you sure we're in the right place? It looks empt-"

"SURPRISE!"

Brittany jumped in shock, almost falling backwards, but she felt Santana's arms around her. She blinked as people she'd known for years and hadn't seen in ages came out of hiding places all over the restaurant. She whirled around and pointed her finger at Santana's smiling face.

"Happy birthday, baby," she said softly, and any emotion other than love that she'd been feeling just washed away as she leaned in for a kiss.

"You are _so_ getting lucky tonight," she whispered in Santana's ear before pulling away.

Brittany turned around and greeted their McKinley friends first, hugging each one tightly. She got to Kurt and grinned at him. "I know this was you."

"Actually, it was Missa Bella's idea," Kurt clarified. "But from her head to here," he gestured around them, "was indeed me."

"And it looks amazing, Kurt. As always, you are the biggest, baddest unicorn of the all."

The hugged again and Brittany quickly turned around, being bombarded by people she hadn't seen in so long. For the next hour, she went around the room, greeting everyone and chatting to them all for a few minutes. She loved people. Talking to them was super easy. And she wasn't superficial or anything like that. Maybe that was how a huge restaurant was filled with people all there for her.

She smiled big and started searching for the two girls that held her heart. It wasn't hard to find them. Bella saw her approaching first and hopped off Santana's lap to run to her. Brittany knelt down, thankful that she'd worn an elasticised dress.

"Britt, did you like the surprise?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Little B, this is the _coolest_ surprise party ever in the history of surprise parties. Kurt told me that it was all your idea." She poked the little girl in the tummy and she almost swooned when she got bashful _exactly_ like Santana did.

"Well, I remember when we watching _Dancing With The Stars_ and you said how many people you'd met over the years and how you never got to see them anymore."

"Bella," Brittany said softly, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Thank you so much for this. It means the world to me. And you know what makes this birthday better than any other birthday I've ever had?"

Bella shook her head, but smiled.

"This is the first birthday I get to spent with the _two_ most important people in the world to me."

"Me and Mommy?" Bella asked quietly.

"You and Mommy," Brittany confirmed with a smile.

Bella threw her arms around Brittany's neck and the blonde held her close, once again so thankful that the world had found a way for her and Santana to find each other again. She tightened her arms around Bella, who got the hint and wrapped her legs around Brittany's waist as the dancer stood up and walked over to where her fiancée was sitting with their friends.

"Mama, _quiero decirle ahora_," Bella said in a whine.

"_Ya _s_é_," Santana replied with a smile. "_Pronto, mija_."

Brittany wrinkled her nose and looked from Santana's glowing smile to Bella's pouting face.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

"No," Bella sighed heavily. "Britt, Mommy says I should stay with her so that you can go and see your friends."

Brittany smiled. "Little B, my friends are right here. Yeah, I know everyone here and some of them are 'friends', but you guys are my true friends."

"Aw, B, that's so sweet," Quinn said with a hand over her heart.

"Where's Max?" she asked.

"Chloe's babysitting him for us tonight," Quinn said, leaning into Noah. "Rachel Berry here said that we deserve some us time so Max is staying over at Rachel and Finn's tonight."

"They did that with Bella all the time, especially when I was studying late," Santana said, frowning as she remembered how much time she'd spent away from her daughter.

"Go give your mama a hug," Brittany whispered discreetly in Bella's ear, lowering her to the ground.

She leaned against the booth and smiled as Bella stood next to her mother and they just shared a moment looking at each other.

"Love you, baby girl," Santana said in a soft voice, tracing a finger across her forehead.

Bella grinned. "Love you too, Mommy."

"Honey, all this talk about kids and babies and love is making me want one!" Kurt said stubbornly.

Everyone at the table stared at him, including Blaine.

"Kurt, any chance you could've mentioned that you were having thoughts about this in private before informing our friends at the same time you're telling me? You…you want a baby?"

Kurt looked at Bella forlornly, which caused Santana to pull her closer, staking her claim. Brittany thought it was too adorable.

"I really do," Kurt said.

"Ok, well, we'll have to discuss this a little more," Blaine said diplomatically, but Brittany could tell that the seed had been planted in his brain, so to speak.

"I think you guys would be great dads," Quinn spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"Totally," Santana agreed with a smile. The rest of the table nodded their heads.

"Well, what about you and Santana, Britt?" Kurt teased. "You mentioned not yet, but when will that be?"

Brittany looked down and met the brown eyes she loved so much. "When the time's right," she said vaguely.

Actually, she and Santana had been talking about it quite extensively over the last few weeks, about how things would have to work. They'd have to move, for one thing. Also, Brittany's studio at the school had to be taken care of when she went on maternity leave and she wasn't exactly sure what Jerry wanted. He had funded the whole project, after all, and he was still her boss.

Bella, of course, wanted a little sibling yesterday. She'd taken to calling her toys 'baby brother' or 'baby sister' and showing them the world.

Brittany smiled at mini-Santana. She really was going to make an awesome big sister.

A really big part of Brittany wanted to start trying now. She'd done her research. It took months and sometimes even years to fall pregnant. She didn't want to be in her mid-thirties and pregnant. She wanted Bella to enjoy being a big sister before being a teenager consumed her.

Santana squeezed her hand and brought her out of her head. Everyone shifted up and Brittany slid in next to her, hoisting Bella onto her lap. Santana's hand found hers and tangled their fingers together. Her head rested on Brittany's shoulder and she honestly felt like nothing could make this birthday any more special.

Santana's phone started ringing and Brittany jumped up to let her out. She gave her a quick kiss and promised she'd be right back.

"Where's she running off to?" Rachel asked.

Brittany shrugged. "I've discovered that I shouldn't question what happens today because she's got everything planned to the last tee so perfectly that she didn't give _anything_ away. Seriously, I had _no_ idea."

"But are you enjoying yourself?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah!" Brittany said enthusiastically. "Oh my God, to see so many people that I haven't spoken to in years is totally awesome. Nice job, Little B." She held out her hand for a high-five, which the little girl met enthusiastically.

"B? Someone's here to see you," Santana said, appearing next to her.

Brittany stood up and turned around. "Hi!" she said happily. "I'm so glad you guys could make it. A little unnecessary to come all the way down from Lima for a birthday, but I do appreciate it."

"Oh, Brittany, don't be ridiculous," Maribel said with a smile. "You're one of ours now. Get used to being bombarded when you least expect it."

"Oh, you mean more than you do already?" Santana quipped.

"Be nice, San," Brittany warned, wrapping her arms around Emilio. She couldn't fathom how someone so big had helped create her little Santana. She knew she got her size from her mom, but her dad was just so…imposing. But not in a bad way.

"Oh, Brittany, we ran into someone at the airport that I think you might know," Maribel said.

"Oh, yeah? Who?"

"Geez, you're not even gonna guess?" A tall blonde stepped into view and Brittany squealed. Loudly.

"Oh my God!" she cried, throwing her arms around her sister. "I've missed you so much, Hails. This is the most amazing surprise!"

"Yeah, that fiancée of yours is pretty demanding," Hailey said with the trademark Pierce grin. "Happy birthday, Britt."

Brittany whirled around and grabbed Santana's waist, pulling her smiling fiancée in for a deep kiss.

"So, so, _so_ lucky," she whispered in her ear.

Santana grinned widely and winked at her.

"I'm pretty sure we missed everything that went on there," Hailey said. "So you two still having conversations that no one else understands?"

"You have no idea," the entire table said at once.

Brittany blinked and her eyes met Santana's equally as astonished.

"We're not _that_ bad," Santana tried to protest.

"Oh, please! After nine years, I think I've managed to figure out what one look means, and I think we _all_ know which one I'm referring to," Rachel said, taking a sip of her cocktail.

The table all nodded and Brittany flushed.

"The only reason why we know it so well is because they use it _all_ the time," Kurt chimed in.

"Guys, seriously?" Santana groaned. "My parents are right there!"

"And how many times did I catch the two of you, Santanita?" Maribel teased.

"_Mátame ahora_," she mumbled, dropping her head on the table. "Guys, we need a bigger table. Or we need to move another table here or something. There are far too many people standing and this booth is crowded enough."

_You're so sexy when you take charge_, Brittany thought with a smile.

Suddenly everyone was looking at her with wide eyes.

"What?" she asked in confusion. Santana looked incredibly embarrassed…and incredibly turned on. "Oh crap!" Brittany clamped a hand over her mouth. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Very loud," Hailey confirmed. "Pretty sure the guy in the corner of the next restaurant heard you."

"Shut up, Hails." Brittany attempted to lightly punch her sister, who deftly dodged her and playfully jabbed at her stomach.

"You're not allowed to hurt Britt!" Bella said, standing up on the seat and glaring at Hailey.

Hailey blinked in shock at being told off by a seven-year-old. "Um…"

"It's her birthday and you're not allowed to hit her. Plus she's my best friend I'll go all Lima Heights on-"

"Whoa, there, Little B," Brittany said, stepping in quickly. "Remember we talked about saying that?"

Bella nodded apologetically.

"Bella, how about I introduce the two of you because I have a feeling that you two will get on famously," Brittany continued. "Isabella Lopez, meet Hailey Pierce, my sister."

"Sister?" Bella asked, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Hey, no worries. Bella, right?" Hailey said, stepping closer. "You keep standing your ground and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, ok?"

Bella immediately smiled and nodded.

"Wow, the resemblance is freaky," Hailey whispered to Brittany and the elder Lopez's.

"I know," they all replied.

"So, can we be friends?" Hailey asked.

"Totally," Bella said, shaking the outstretched hand firmly.

"_Ven aquí, mija_," Santana said quietly, holding her arms out.

Bella flopped into them, snuggling against her mother's chest. Brittany smiled at them.

"You're totally smitten!" Hailey teased as Noah and Finn brought around another table with a few chairs.

"Duh," Brittany replied, holding up her left hand.

"Shut the front door! I go to college for four months and look what happens. You never told me you got engaged! Bitch! How long has it been?"

"Just over a month," Brittany replied happily. "Hails, everything is perfect. I have the most amazing job, I'm engaged to the woman of my dreams and we're looking to start a family together too."

"What? Ohmigod! Am I gonna be an aunt?"

"Not yet," Brittany chuckled. "Geez, relax. No need to hyperventilate just yet."

A loud voice boomed over everyone else's. "Excuse me, but is there a Brittany Pierce here?"

She froze and slowly turned around. No effing way. No _effing_ way! Brittany slowly stood up.

"Who is it?" she heard Noah ask.

"Sssh." That was definitely Santana.

"I've got a message for you, little girl," the owner of the booming voice said, taking his hat off. "Come and give your old man a bear hug."

Brittany screamed happily and ran to the man, throwing her arms around him.

"Daddy! You're really here? This is you? You're here?" She was touching his face, just to ensure that she wasn't asleep or something.

"Really here, Honey Bee."

The pet name widened Brittany's smile and she hugged him again.

"A little birdie told me that it was your birthday or something," James Pierce said with feigned disinterest.

Brittany giggled. "Or something."

"Oh, right! So this birdie tells me I gotta get you a gift. So I'm like psssh, whatever. I'll just pick up whatever's nearby. And would you look at what I found?"

James stepped aside and Brittany burst into tears, running into her mom's arms.

"How is this even possible?" she sobbed, inhaling the familiar scent that was unmistakingly Natalie Pierce.

"We haven't seen you in so long and now that you're settled and things are happening for you, we figured it was time we came to see our Honey Bee."

"I've missed you guys so much." She put an arm around each parent and pulled them close.

She hadn't seen her parents in four years, not since Hailey had graduated and gone off to college. Her parents had suddenly decided to take advantage of no kids and go on the around the world trip that they'd been planning since forever.

Four years and now they were here.

"How did you know?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Natalie replied with a knowing smile.

Brittany nodded and pulled them back to the table, very aware that she probably looked a mess.

"Everyone, these are my parents, James and Natalie."

As her naturally enigmatic parents made the rounds, Brittany's eyes immediately found the ones that matched her soul and drew her out. Santana understood immediately and slid of the booth, following Brittany a little distance away from everyone.

"Baby, are you ok?" Santana asked in concern.

Brittany just shook her head and yanked Santana into a tight embrace. She cried into her shoulder because she couldn't believe how lucky she was.

Santana was humming to her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. As her sobs quietened, her heard the familiar melody of _Songbird_. Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back abruptly.

"Firstly, you're not gonna be able to walk tomorrow or the next day."

Santana swallowed, her eyes going wide.

"Second, I don't want to wait."

"For what exactly?"

"Anything. Santana, this night, this whole day, has just reminded me that you are my everything and that you would do things for me that no one else would think to do. It just further strengthens my belief that there will never _ever_ be anyone else who can love you the way I love you or love me the way you love me."

"So…just the wedding or everything?" Santana asked slowly.

"Santana, I would have thought by this stage that it was clear," Brittany said, stepping closer to her fiancée. "You _are_ my everything. I'm tired of waiting. We waited eight years."

She searched Santana's eyes and saw a little confusion that soon became overwhelmed with excitement. It made Brittany smile.

"Ok," Santana breathed.

"Yeah?"

She nodded furiously. "Let's do it. Let's get married, let's have a baby, let's do it all. You're right. We waited eight years. I want the rest of my life to start right now."

Santana grabbed the back of Brittany's neck and crashed their lips together. Brittany's hand went to the back of Santana's neck to anchor them against each other whilst their free hands entwined.

"I love you," Santana said breathlessly. "There's just one more thing, ok?"

Brittany nodded.

"Bella!" Santana called.

Her daughter came running immediately, looking up at them curiously. Brittany's eyes glanced up and saw that their friends and family were pretty much doing the same. She didn't care. Family was precious and way too important to both of them to waste anymore time.

And wait for what? What else was meant to happen for them? They had everything they could possibly want and soon that list would expand.

"_¿Estás lista?_" Santana asked urgently.

"Now?" Bella asked in surprise.

Her mother nodded.

"O-Ok," Bella replied, suddenly nervous.

Still holding each other, Santana and Brittany simultaneously knelt down so that they were at eye level with Bella.

"Baby girl, do you want me to-"

"No," Bella said sharply. "No, I've been practising this and I wanna say it."

Brittany felt Santana's hand tighten around hers and she suddenly felt as nervous as Bella looked.

"Britt," Bella began, licking her lips, "I know that Mommy loves you and I hope you know that I love you too. You and Mommy are going to get married and someday I'll have a little brother or sister. But before any of that, I want to ask you a question."

"Ok," Brittany whispered.

"Britt, will you be my mommy too?"

* * *

**A/N: :D Don't forget, Bella's mine ;)**

**So that chapter ran away with me. Again. Meh. Would love to hear what you think. Too rushed? Too ostentatious?**

**Bearing in mind that it is now 6am and I have slept 6 hours (ish) in the last 3 days. That's how much I love you guys :)**

**Spanish is Google translate. Don't kill me in my sleep (when I eventually get there).**

**Not gonna edit, just gonna post, so forgive me for any mistakes, k?**

**-H**


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: ****Apologies for the extensive wait. Life, blah, blah…**

******BUT! Happy birthday to me! And my birthday gift to you is an update on all three stories :)**

**Can I just say that you guys make me smile SO much. Every time I get a review, I get the goofiest grin on my face :) Pretty sure people think I'm super weird, but when has that ever been a bad thing? ;p**

**Can I also just say…to everyone who has said that they wished I wrote on the show – BIGGEST COMPLIMENT EVER. Seriously. OMG. That would be my greatest dream come true :')**

**And to those who've listed this as their favouritest fic – I can't tell you how awestruck I get when I see that. There are **_**so**_** many amazing fics on this site and when someone thinks that my little story is the best…just…wow.**

**Every single one of you are getting a hug. Line up. Right now. I give awesome hugs.**

**Much of Brittanella love! :D**

**Leo - challenge ACCEPTED! :) And InLoveWithBrittana - Muchas gracias for the Spanish love :)  
**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 47**

Brittany felt all the breath leave her body. Was this real? Was this actually happening? She must be dreaming. That had to be the only explanation for the insurmountable number of _amazing_ things that had happened that evening.

A squeeze from her hands brought her out of her head and in that instant she realised that this was indeed real. Which meant…Bella…

Her eyes filled with tears uncontrollably and she bit her lip from letting out a loud sob. She nodded her head and continued until it was frantic and she probably looked like a crazy person.

But this was crazy! Bella was asking her to be her _mom_. Her mom. As in what Santana was for her.

"You…you wanna be my mommy, Britt?" she heard Bella ask again nervously.

She couldn't see jack shit with the tears in her eyes so she just dropped Santana's hand and opened her arms. Not a second later, she felt the familiar tiny arms wrap around her neck squeeze with a strength belying of a seven-year-old.

Goddamn tears! She wanted to see Bella's face. Shit. She wanted to see _Santana's_ face when she'd said yes. Not that she'd actually said yes. But she'd agreed. If course she'd agreed! It was only the one thing she'd wished for on her birthday. Honest-to-God. Normally, Brittany had a long list of birthday wishes, but this year she only had one.

_Be a real family with San and Bella._

And now it had come true.

She sniffed in a very unladylike fashion and pulled away from Bella briefly to wipe the tears from her eyes frantically. She was well aware that she probably looked like a mess, but she didn't care.

"Bella," she said in a strangled voice. She didn't know what to do with all the emotions she was feeling. "I…I…You have just made me the happiest person in the world ever. Ever. I've wished for so long that you would ask me that."

Bella was looking at her with the world's biggest grin and Brittany suddenly found herself matching it.

"It would be my greatest honour to be your mommy as well, Isabella. I love you so much, Little B."

She pulled the young girl, her _daughter_, into her arms again and they held each other tightly.

"I'm really glad, Big B. Really, really glad," she heard Bella mumble into her neck.

She felt a warm hand on her back and her head turned to see Santana smiling at them with tears streaming down her cheeks. Out of all the times she'd ever seen Santana cry, whether as a result of drinking or hurting, she'd never seen such love and pride shining out of the dark eyes as she did at that moment.

_Thank you_, she mouthed. It didn't seem like any words would be enough to show her gratitude.

Santana just nodded and leaned closer, pressing her lips against her cheek.

"I love you more than anything," she whispered in her ear. "Our forever starts now."

She pulled away and Brittany bent forward slightly, catching Santana's lips in hers for a soft and incredibly meaningful kiss.

"_Para siempre_," Brittany whispered against her fiancée's lips.

"Forever," Santana agreed, kissing her forehead.

"Big B?" Bella asked, pulling away, but keeping her arms around Brittany's neck.

"What's up, Little B?"

Bella looked a little nervous so Brittany leaned forward and gave her an Eskimo kiss. "Ask me anything, Bella. I'll give you the best answer I know."

"Um…what can I call you?" Bella asked timidly.

Brittany smiled. "You can call me whatever you want, Little B. If you want to call me Britt or Big B, you totally can, but if you want to call me something else, that's also ok."

God, if Bella ever called her _something else_, she'd probably overdose from the insane amount of love she had for the little girl.

_My daughter._

Bella chewed on her lip. "Would it be ok if I thought about it for a bit?" she asked, furrowing her brows in worry in an exact replica of her mother. Well, Santana. "I'll totally still call you Big B until then!" she added quickly.

"Little B, you take as much time as you need, ok?"

She nodded and Brittany pulled her back for another hug.

"Baby, we have a really big audience and they're kinda making me uncomfortable," Santana said in a low voice, her hand slipping underneath Brittany's loose hair and lightly scratching the back of neck.

The blonde felt like she could purr from happiness.

"Hold tight," Brittany whispered in Bella's ear, keeping a strong hold on her _daughter_.

Fuck, that was never going to get old. Ever. She could hear that on endless repeat forever.

Brittany rocked back onto her heels and stood up, taking a deep breath as the blood rushed through her cramped muscles. She looked at her fiancée who was just smiling at her, the hand on her neck dropping to her waist and wrapping around it.

"Is this real?" Brittany whispered, looking deeply into Santana's eyes.

"You need me to pinch you?" Bella offered.

"Maybe," Brittany chuckled, scrunching her nose at the little girl in her arms.

Bella grinned and pinched her shoulder softly.

"You totally chickened out," Brittany teased.

Bella looked embarrassed.

"Hey, even though things may be a little different now, I'm still me, Bella. I'll always be your Big B."

There was a moment of silence before Bella's hand shot out and pinched Brittany on the arm. _Hard_.

"Ouchie! Wow, wasn't expecting that," Brittany mumbled, shifting Bella slightly so that she could shake her arm out.

"_Mija, eso no fue muy agradable,_" Santana said with a warning in her voice.

"No, it's fine," Brittany said quickly, detecting Santana's reprimanding tone. She didn't want anything ruining this moment. "It made me realise that this is definitely not a dream, which makes it the happiest day of my life."

"Really?" Bella asked happily.

"Totally." Brittany leaned in and kissed her cheek softly.

Bella flushed red and Brittany almost cooed at how she went shy like Santana did.

"Ahem."

She glanced at her fiancée who was arching an unimpressed eyebrow at being left out. Brittany smiled and leaned in, brushing their noses against each other slightly before joining their lips. It only lasted a few seconds, but that was all they needed to show what they needed to.

"So, do we tell them?" Brittany asked in an attempt to seem casual, inclining her head at their nosy family and friends.

Santana chuckled. "Very subtle, babe. If you want to, we can."

"Yeah?"

The Latina nodded and winked. Brittany beamed.

"Bella, do you wanna tell them? You did such a good job announcing our engagement."

"Can I?" Bella asked excitedly, tightening her arms around Brittany's neck.

She looked between Santana and Brittany and they both nodded.

"Ok, ok, let's go!" Bella urged, pulling forward on Brittany's neck.

Brittany laughed, shifting Bella to her hip so that she could grab Santana's hand with her now free one. Their fingers entangled and they walked the few meters back to where their family and friends suddenly tried to act like they hadn't been staring at them the whole time. Brittany was pretty sure they hadn't heard anything though, because they had been talking in low voices and they'd been far enough away.

"Hey, guys. Sorry we disappeared for a bit," Brittany apolgised to the group. "San and I just needed to talk about a few things."

"Everything ok?" Natalie asked in concern.

"Oh, yeah! Everything's great!" Brittany said with a wide smile. "Little B has an announcement to make, so if you'll all give her your undivided attention."

She stood Bella on the table and pulled Santana into her, her fiancée immediately snuggling into her favourite spot. It made Brittany shiver, but she _loved_ it when Santana was in the crook of her neck.

"Well," Bella said dramatically, swinging her hands. "See, I know today's totally a special day for Britt and she's totally awesome and she makes my mama super happy, so we decided…" She trailed off and the entire table leaned closer, almost exactly how they'd done at the engagement announcement.

She felt Santana giggle quietly next to her.

"You decided?" Maribel prompted with an excited smile.

"Oh! Mama and I decided that we were gonna ask Britt something super important and we did and she said yes!"

_She's so evil. But so good._

"Bella, honey, you're being a bit vague," Rachel attempted.

"I know," Bella replied matter-of-factly. "I just wanted to make you wait cos you were staring at us the whole time."

Both Brittany and Santana had to snort at that and a few eyes darted to them before setting back on Bella.

"_Pónlos fuera de su miseria, mija_," Santana chuckled.

"Well, Rachel, I have to say sorry to you," Bella continued.

"Me?" Rachel squeaked. "Why me?"

"Because you're not the only one with two parents who are the same."

Brittany rolled her eyes. Bella was becoming more like Santana every day.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Really?" That was Rachel.

"I don't think they got it," Bella stage whispered to them.

"That's cos they don't appreciate your genius, baby girl," Santana replied. "Listen up, y'all. What Bella is trying to tell you is that she's got two mamas now."

Mayhem erupted. Brittany grabbed Bella off the table as everyone started moving towards them. Bella squealed and gripped Brittany tightly, startled by the sudden movement.

"That's amazing!"

"I'm so happy for you guys!"

"It's about time!"

"You're such an amazing family already!"

It was overwhelming as Brittany and Santana hugged everyone about fifty times, _especially_ their parents. Santana tried to play it off by being her usual sarcastic self, but a quick kiss from Brittany just below her ear and a warning to _play nice_ quickly turned her comments genuinely appreciative.

"Britt, you've grown up so much since we last saw you," Natalie gushed with tears in her eyes. "You found Santana again, reconnected, moved in, got engaged and now you're a _mom_! I'm just…I'm so proud."

Brittany flushed, shifting Bella further up her hip as she slid down a little. Her head was resting on Brittany's shoulder. She hadn't moved from Brittany throughout the hugs and congratulations and Brittany didn't mind it in the least.

"Thanks, Mom. Sometimes I can't believe that this is my life now, but every morning I wake up and there they are." She turned and kissed Bella's soft hair. "My two angels."

Bella giggled.

"Little B, you haven't met my parents, have you?" Brittany asked. "Well, not officially."

She lifted her head and shook it, suddenly looking shy again.

"I'm Bella," she said in a sudden burst of confidence, holding out her hand.

"Hi, Bella, I'm Natalie, Brittany's mom," Natalie said, taking the little hand proffered and shook it solemnly.

Brittany glanced at her dad and how he was just looking between her and Bella in awe. She blushed. Her dad meant the world to her, but her mom was her idol. She'd had an amazingly close relationship with her mom growing up, and she wouldn't change anything that they'd gone through.

"Daddy, don't you want to meet Bella?" Brittany asked quietly.

James shook himself suddenly, his trademark grin appearing on his face. "Under one condition," he said in his attempt at being serious.

Brittany giggled quietly. Her dad was a total goofball. But she loved it. He was the one she could be silly with all the time and he totally got her.

"What's that?" Bella asked curiously.

"Well, the Pierces are huggers in case you missed the memo, little lady, so you'd better get in these arms and be welcomed properly to the family."

Bella looked at Brittany for permission and she just smiled encouragingly. She deposited the little girl into her dad's huge arms. Bella looked even more tiny in them, but the high-pitched squeal and resulting giggle warmed her heart entirely.

"Bella, right?" James said, hoisting her onto her shoulder easily.

Brittany smiled. He'd always been so strong.

"That's me. Isabella Lopez. Named after my mama's Abuela."

"Now that's a mouthful," Natalie deadpanned. "Is that your full name? I should start doing that. Except I don't know who I was named after." She frowned.

It earned Natalie a giggle from Bella and Brittany could see that it had been her intention from the start.

"So our Honey Bee has her own Honey Bee," James said. "We're gonna have to find a name for you, Bella."

"I just told you my name," Bella protested in confusion.

"Yes, but Pierces get _special_ nicknames," James explained. He looked thoughtful until he snapped his fingers. "I got it. Cocoa Bunny."

"Ugh, James, that's a _terrible_ idea," Natalie teased him. "I've got a better one. How about Caramel Sugar?"

"Pffft. That's even worse. Not that mine was bad. Ummm…Dark Chocolate?"

Bella laughed happily and clapped her hands as Natalie and James traded off ridiculous nicknames.

Brittany just watched the scene happily, now fully understanding what Santana spoke about when she said she could just watch Bella smile and it made her day. She'd always seen it herself and experienced that whole ray of sunshine thing, but _this_. It was like she was seeing it from a different perspective. The perspective of a mother.

Bella's mother. Well, her other mother.

A little shiver of excitement ran through her at the thought and she felt two hands encircling her waist, pulling her back into a warm body.

"Do you have any idea how deliriously happy I am right now?" Santana said in her ear, placing a soft kiss on the exposed skin of her neck.

"I really think I do, San. I've never been happier in my life and everything is because of you. You organised this party, got my parents and my sister to come to New York, you're going to marry me, we're going to have a baby together and…" her voice caught on the last thing as emotion got the better of her. "And now you're trusting me to be Bella's _mom_. I just…" Brittany turned around in her fiancée's arms, staring into her eyes that reflected the same love and devotion that she was feeling. "It doesn't seem like nearly enough, but thank you. Thank you so much."

Santana smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Baby, there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. We're a family, all of us. I knew it was time we made it official."

"Like official, official?" Brittany wasn't even sure if it was possible. She and Santana weren't married yet. How could she claim Bella as her daughter?

"I've got all the papers at home," Santana explained, pulling away slightly. "We can go over them later. You do need to sign them, after all. My mom proofed them and made sure they were legit." Maribel's lawyer skills were coming in handy. "Right now, it states that you'll be Bella's legal guardian, but as soon as we're married, we're upgrading it to adoption. That way, you can adopt Bella as my wife and it'll make it more binding." Santana swallowed. "Is…is that ok? It's the closest I could get to her being yours."

Brittany just pulled her back in for a tight embrace. "She's ours, baby. She's all ours."

* * *

"That went on a lot longer than I planned," Santana said with a chuckle as she kicked off her shoes and fell face first onto their bed.

Brittany just leaned against the door and looked at her fiancée, taking in her strong legs, amazing ass, smooth back and lusciously dark locks. Santana was the most beautiful woman on the planet and Brittany considered herself incredibly lucky to be the one waking up next to her every day.

"You're staring," Santana mumbled against the comforter.

"I am," Brittany agreed with a smile. "It's not like I don't catch you staring at me. Besides, can you blame me for ogling the sexiest woman alive?"

Santana turned her head and smiled lovingly at her. She reached out an arm and wiggled her fingers. Brittany stepped out of her shoes and closed the door before making her way over to the bed, sitting up against the headboard and coaxing Santana into her lap. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as Brittany ran her fingers through the dark hair she loved so much.

"You sleepy, babe?" Santana asked, stifling a yawn.

Brittany grinned. "Nope."

Santana lifted her head to meet her gaze and arched an eyebrow.

"What?" Brittany shrugged. "I'm not. Besides, I was kinda hoping my birthday would end the way it started."

Santana grinned and hid her face in Brittany's lap.

"I love how shy you still get around me," she murmured, tracing the outline of Santana's face as it turned in her lap. "It just makes me love you more." She started unzipping the Latina's dress as she lay on her stomach. "In fact, waking up with you every day makes me love you more."

"B," Santana breathed, suddenly sitting up, straddling her legs. "That was so beautiful," she said sincerely, cupping her fiancée's cheek. "Every morning that I wake up with you just puts a huge smile on my face and I can't believe how lucky I got that you're there next to me."

Brittany just smiled and drew her closer, joining their lips in a soft kiss that quickly grew passionate. Within minutes, they were horizontal and without their dresses, bodies moving together naturally. They were still kissing furiously, neither willing to relinquish control. Brittany eventually rolled Santana over and started attacking her neck, sucking hard on her pulse point.

"Oh my God," Santana moaned, her nails digging into Brittany's back.

The blonde soothed the rapidly bruising mark with her tongue, placing soft kisses down her shoulder until she reached her bra strap and used her teeth to pull it down until she reached the partly exposed flesh of Santana's breasts.

Santana arched her back and Brittany quickly relieved her of the lacy constraints, tossing them somewhere behind her, immediately diving into the supple flesh of Santana's chest. Her fiancée moaned appreciatively, her fingers clenching and winding through her hair.

Brittany continued her journey down south, hooking her thumbs into Santana's thong and pulling it down her smooth legs before she reached her playground. She placed feather light kisses on the inside of each thigh before licking up Santana's dripping slit.

"Holy Jesus!" Santana groaned, her hips bucking.

Brittany smiled and gave one more lick before sitting up and removing her own underwear.

"Britt!" Santana whined.

"Baby, trust me, ok? You're gonna come so much tonight you won't know what to do with yourself."

Santana's eyes widened and her breathing picked up its pace. Brittany grinned and lifted Santana's leg onto her shoulder, bringing their centres together in the most intimate way. Both women groaned in pleasure and Brittany began to move, just rocking her hips slightly so that their clits bumped each other on the upstroke of every thrust. She wasn't going to make this quick. She wanted to draw this out for Santana and make her feel as much pleasure as she possibly could.

"Baby, could you go faster?" Santana begged. "You're driving me crazy here." She dropped her head back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her arm.

"San, I'm gonna make you feel good, so let me do that, please?" It wasn't snappy or demanding, but entirely loving.

Santana lifted her arm and smiled back at her fiancée. "Ok, baby," she whispered, relaxing and letting Brittany build her up slowly and gloriously.

After about twenty minutes of sensual rocking, Brittany was forced to pick up the pace because _she_ was starting to lose control and there was still so much she had planned for Santana. The Latina had started to make little grunting noises, which was good because that meant that she was climbing quickly to that high peak of pleasure.

Brittany pressed their clits together and held them there, moving her hips from side to side to keep the friction. She shuddered as a shock of pleasure ran through her body.

"Britt, God, you feel amazing," Santana whimpered. "I'm so close."

She worked double time, never moving their clits far from each other, always making sure they brushed each other as much as possible. Santana started to shake slightly and Brittany leaned forward, close enough to her body to place kisses over caramel skin. She could feel the tremors running through her stomach and she pressed her hips down hard.

"Fuck!" Santana squeaked, the sudden intensity of Brittany's thrust sending her into raptures of pleasure.

"Oooooh," she moaned as the shockwaves ran through her body.

Brittany smiled, not bothered than she hadn't reached her release yet. There was still plenty of time.

"Babe," Santana breathed when Brittany gently pulled away.

"Right here, love," she whispered, resting her body gently on top of Santana's. She smiled as she felt the small waves still run through her fiancée's body.

"You didn't…" Santana said in confusion.

"No, not yet, San. I do recall mentioning that you weren't going to be able to walk tomorrow or the next day. I've got a lot of work to get through." She winked and pressed a quick kiss to Santana's lips before leaning over the bed and fumbling around in the bottom cabinet of her nightstand.

"Jesus," she heard Santana breathe and she grinned.

She pulled out their strap on and quickly attached it. She returned to her position on top of Santana who was still coming down. She started peppering open-mouthed kisses on the tops of her breasts, eventually wrapping her lips around a nipple and entering her fiancée at the same time.

"Oooh!" Santana groaned in pleasure, her head snapping up, her hands flying to Brittany's back.

Brittany continued her gentle adoration of Santana's breasts as she started thrusting in and out. God, it felt amazing. Her fiancée was ridiculously tight and Brittany loved it. She loved moving inside her, being close enough to kiss her anywhere and touch her whilst still being to stimulate her.

"Britt!"

The blonde let Santana pull her up as they started to kiss frantically. Brittany's thrusts were even, but deep, hitting Santana's cervix. A small change in the angle of her hips and she was hitting the spot that drove Santana crazy. Sure enough, the Latina's nails most certainly left indentations on Brittany's back as she slipped easily in and out of Santana's pussy. Their tongues toyed with each other, Brittany willing to give Santana control for a few seconds, only to take it back almost immediately. It earned a growl from her fiancée, who managed to roll them over and sat astride Brittany, riding her majestically. It was indeed a sight – one the blonde would _never_ get tired of.

She met Santana's movements and just stared as she went higher and higher. Her entire upper body shook as she came hard, the vibrations settling in the clit stimulator and surprising Brittany. She couldn't stop herself as she was sent flying with Santana.

The Latina dropped forward, resting her head on Brittany's chest as they both caught their breath.

"Wow," Brittany whispered, letting her fingers dance over all of Santana's skin available to her.

"Hmmm," was all Santana could manage.

Normally, Brittany was deadweight after an orgasm, but she found herself gently rolling Santana back over and slipping out. She took the strap on off, wanting to be close to her girl.

Once again lying on top of Santana, Brittany kissed her neck, lingering on each kiss when she felt Santana giggle. She smiled against the skin and repeated what she'd done. Another giggle. Brittany continued until Santana was giggling uncontrollably. She could get drunk off that sound. It was completely mesmerising.

She slipped off Santana and guided her to turn around and settled herself behind her so that they were spooning. She then pulled Santana's one leg over hers, leaving her completely exposed. She felt her fiancée take in a sharp breath as she realised where Brittany's dancing fingers were headed.

The angle was slightly awkward, but Brittany didn't care – Santana loved the spot she hit when she took her from behind. She ran her fingers through the copious amount of wetness in and around Santana's pussy. The Latina let out a whimper that became a pleasurable moan as Brittany slipped two fingers into her. As before, Brittany was happy to build her up slowly. Santana seemed to realise that everything that Brittany was doing was a thank you and she allowed the blonde to fulfill her every need.

Which, she did, of course.

"So good," Santana whispered, her hips rocking slightly.

"You feel so good," Brittany husked in her ear. "You have no idea what it does to me every time I touch you."

"Please," Santana begged. The hand resting on Brittany's thigh clenched and her fiancée raked her nails up muscular thighs.

"Ok, baby," Brittany conceded, pulling out slowly and watching Santana wiggle around to face her.

"I do love that position, baby, I really do. But I want to see you more than anything," Santana whispered, shuffling closer to that their chests were touching. She lifted a hand and rested it against Brittany's cheek. "Make love to me, Brittany."

The blonde swallowed. Santana's eyes were so clear, yet so dark with passion, that her request sent a shiver through her.

"Gladly, my love," Brittany replied once she'd found her voice. She guided a caramel thigh to rest over hers and immediately slipped her two fingers back in. As she slowly built Santana back up again, the two held eye contact, never breaking it except to blink.

When Santana's brow started to furrow from exertion, Brittany shuffled even closer, trapping her hand between them. She didn't care – she was still able to move it easily in and out of her fiancée's wet core and this meant that she could feel her body too.

"Mmmmmm," Santana moaned with a shudder. "You build me up so well, baby. It always feels s-so much m-more amazing."

Brittany kissed her shoulder. "Your pleasure is my pleasure, San. I just want you to feel how much I love you."

"I do," Santana breathed, leaning forward and kissing her heatedly.

Their lips stayed locked until Santana had to break away to rest her head against Brittany's shoulder as her orgasm started to hit her. The blonde didn't pull out. She kept pumping slowly to coax Santana into a second orgasm immediately after her first and not long after, a third.

_And I'm not even done._

Santana was breathing heavily and Brittany took a moment to just watch her.

"You're staring again," Santana said in a heavy voice.

Brittany smiled. "I know." She pulled her fingers out and licked them clean slowly. Plenty of juices, but not enough to sate her need. She pressed against Santana's shoulder and got her to lie on her back again. When the Latina felt her legs being widened gently, she groaned.

"Baby, I seriously don't think I can."

"Last one," Brittany whispered, pressing a very soft kiss to Santana's over stimulated clit. "Let me make you fly, San."

Santana's legs just dropped open in defeat. She hardly had any strength to resist Brittany. Not that she wanted to, really.

Brittany licked up and down Santana's folds twice, staying away from her clit. It was sensitive enough to send her fiancée over the edge with one lick once she'd built her up again. She entered Santana with her tongue and smiled when the Latina's back involuntarily arched and she moaned with pleasure.

It was another twenty minutes of slowly building Santana up, checking every now and again that she hadn't fallen asleep – _that_ was only allowed to happen once. And Brittany hadn't been impressed that time.

Santana was whimpering and Brittany finally nudged her nose over her clit, sending a spasm of pleasure rushing through Santana's body. Diving in with her tongue again and twisting it the way she knew Santana liked, she nudged the bundle of nerves with her nose.

"Britt!" Santana cried, her entire body convulsing as she came.

The blonde brought her down slowly and carefully, well aware of how sensitive everything would be now. She did love the taste of Santana, the smell of Santana completely surrounding her.

"Babe."

Brittany crawled away from her spot between Santana's legs and lay next to her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly, finding one of her hands and tangling their fingers.

Santana smiled tiredly. "Honestly? Completely fucked."

Brittany grinned. "Guess I did a good job, then."

"Hmmm," Santana hummed in agreement. "I love you, my sexy Britt-Britt. I'd really like to hold you and fall asleep now, though."

"Sure, baby," Brittany replied, jumping into action. She rolled the comforter down and lifted Santana's body over it carefully before draping it across them both, leaving it at their waists as always. Brittany turned and felt Santana wrap an arm around her waist, resting her hand between her breasts.

"Perfection," Santana mumbled before kissing Brittany's back four times.

"Perfection," Brittany agreed, snuggling back into her fiancée and closing her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: My lovelies...  
**

**It is with a heavy heart that I conclude this chapter with the following:**

**I am taking another hiatus. This time, it's indefinite. I'm going cold turkey on fanfic (gonna be so difficult) to focus solely on my manuscript. I've mentioned this to a few reviewers already, but for the benefit of everyone, this is not something I'm doing lightly. I love writing fan fiction. More than finishing my manuscript at the moment. However, if I **_**ever**_** hope to achieve my dream of creating a career in writing, I need to focus on what will get me there – enter my manuscript.**

**I'm going cold turkey because it's too distracting to still read alerts and reviews because then I want to reply and I get ideas etc etc…this is what happened last time and that didn't last very long, did it? :/**

**Please accept my sincerest apologies, my dearest readers. Your support means the world to me and I **_**promise**_** that I will be back – you couldn't tear me away if you tried :) I just figure that without the distraction of Brittana (ugh, torture), my manuscript will get done quicker. And I have an incentive now too – to get back to you guys.**

**I'm uploading new chapters on all three fics at the same time to help ease into the hiatus.**

**Once again, I love you all and you mean the world to me. I'll see you soon!**

***cue theme music***

**Fade out…**

**Aaaaaand scene!**

**-H**

**PS: Twitter – HellsBells1313. Pretty sure I'll be updating any progress on there if you're interested :) Peace in the fandoms...**


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies :)**

**Firstly, Season's Greetings and all that stuffs. Hope you guys had an amazing time with friends, families and whomever you spent your time with.**

**Thank you for all my birthday wishes! :) They meant the world.**

**Lastly, welcome to all the new followers! Thank you so much for reading this story :)**

**For now, I'll get right on with things, since it's been two WHOLE months ;)**

**More info at the end…**

**For now, though…**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 48**

"I think I like lazy mornings," Santana mused from her spot nestled in Brittany's neck.

The two lovebirds were snuggled together the Saturday morning after Brittany's birthday. It was still early, so they wouldn't be bombarded by a morning hyped Bella for a while.

"Hmmm," Brittany hummed in agreement, stroking Santana's thick hair and pulling her closer. "Things are going to be crazy this next month. I don't even know when we'll get to do this again."

Santana lifted her head and met Brittany's gorgeous blue eyes. "We'll make it work if we want to, babe. If our work weeks are crazy, then we'll just make sure we have a lazy morning or an early night. We can't let ourselves get wrapped up in life so much that we forget about us."

She leaned down and pressed her lips against Brittany's gently. They smiled when they broke apart.

"Did you ever think we'd be here three months ago?" the dancer asked in awe.

Santana giggled. "Can't say that I pictured us engaged and looking to expanding our family. But," she kissed her cheek, "I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Me neither, San." Brittany held her close again. "Me neither."

* * *

"I got it!" Bella yelled, running into the living room.

Santana glanced up from the stove where she was making them all breakfast and Brittany smiled from the table where she was working on her laptop.

"What did you get, Little B?"

Bella ran to her and jumped on her lap. Santana just watched with a smile from the kitchen. "I know what I can call you!" she said eagerly.

The youngest Lopez had been very vocal in her quest to come up with a suitable name for Brittany. Santana thought it was adorable.

"Yeah?" Brittany's smile was blinding.

"I'm still gonna call Mama Mama cos that's her name and I like calling her Mama."

"I like that, baby girl," Santana said from the kitchen. "Thank you."

Bella sent a noisy kiss across the room and her mother made a big show to catch it. She turned back to Brittany, who was waiting nervously for the big announcement.

"Big B…Britt…I wanna call you Mommy," the little girl murmured, suddenly shy.

"Oh, Little B." Brittany's heart wanted to burst. She pulled her into a tight hug. "That sounds perfect. So, so perfect. I love it."

"Yay! Ok, awesome," Bella squealed, clapping her hands and snuggling into her mommy. "I'm super happy."

"Me too, Little B."

"Hey, don't I get any love?" Santana pouted from the kitchen. "Here I am, slaving over a hot stove to fill your ginormous tummies and you-"

She was tackled by both Brittany and Bella with big hugs and she laughed.

"Love you, Mama," Bella said from Santana's waist.

"Love you too, baby girl." Santana rested her hand against her daughter's cheek and lifted her eyes to meet the shining bright ones of her fiancée. "And I love you, my beautiful wife-to-be."

They grinned and shared a few soft kisses.

"When's the wedding?" Bella piped up.

Brittany released Santana and picked their daughter up.

_Their daughter._

Santana still couldn't get over how awesome that sounded.

"We should invite Kurt and Quinn over," Brittany suggested. "I mean, we've already got the ball rolling on Bella's sibling, so we should start on planning the wedding too."

Santana smiled and nodded. They'd made an appointment with Dr. Sam Marlowe, the doctor who'd delivered Bella. She'd really made Santana feel so calm during her pregnancy – well, by her standards. And it was eight years ago. Their first appointment was the next Tuesday.

"Mama, can I call them?" Bella questioned.

"Sure, baby." Santana handed her the phone and Brittany put Bella down. She immediately went to sit on the couch to make her phone calls.

"We're going to have a very independent teenager on our hands, San," Brittany murmured, wrapping her arms around her fiancée's waist as Santana turned back to the stove.

"I'm well aware of that," the Latina chuckled. "But I have a feeling she'll be ok."

"Oh, I'm more worried about you," Brittany teased, running her hands underneath Santana's shirt and meeting bare skin. "There's no way you're going to give Bella her freedom that easily."

Santana looked indignantly at her over her shoulder, but the smile on Brittany's face just made her roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I know," she muttered, flipping the pancakes she was making.

"Smells good."

"They're not done yet."

"I meant you."

Santana blushed.

_Still that schoolgirl reaction, Lopez._

She really didn't mind.

* * *

They were sitting around the table planning their week and Bella was seated between them, making sure she was just as involved in everything.

"Tuesday we're going to Dr. Marlowe. Wednesday is dinner with our parents. Obviously, Thursday is a total scratch," Santana said, twirling the pencil between her fingers. "Opening night is going to be crazy. I doubt I'm going to even have time to come home before we have to go back."

"Don't worry, babe. I'll fetch Bella from Rachel, we'll come home and pretty ourselves up before we go back to Griffin Hill. Right, Little B?"

"Yip! I'm so excited, Mommy! Everyone's gonna see the musical and they're going to be so proud."

"Ah, thanks, baby. But it was both of us," Santana said, winking at Brittany.

"Yeah, I have the coolest mommies in the world," Bella said with a big smile.

"I think we have the bestest daughter in the world," Brittany replied quietly, as though she was testing how the words sounded.

There was a moment of shy silence before Santana broke it boisterously, "Well, _I_ think that we should just agree that the three of us possibly the awesomest humans ever to have lived."

"What about my baby brother or sister?" Bella asked with a pout.

"Well, when he or she arrives in the world, they will automatically become part of the awesome that is our family."

"We are pretty awesome," Bella mused.

Santana chuckled and glanced at her watch. "_Mija_, we should take a bath before Quinn and Kurt get here."

She caught Brittany's pout and leaned over their daughter to gently tug on the protruding bottom lip with her teeth.

"I promised her, love. We can have one later."

She nodded and sighed, turning back to her laptop. Santana bit her lip. She doubted that her insatiable lust for Brittany would ever go away.

And hell, that was _so_ fine with her. The rest of her life being with her soulmate every way possible? What's not to love about that picture? Bella grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom. Santana started running the bath and made sure she poured Bella's favourite bubble bath into the water, creating far too much foam.

_Just how my baby girl likes it._

Santana and Bella enjoyed bathing together. It was something they'd done regularly until Brittany had moved in. Santana had been fully aware that Bella missed them so she'd instilled a mandatory Saturday Santana/Bella bath time. Her daughter loved it.

"Mama, you're not even in your robe!" Bella said in a huff, her hands on her hips and pout in full effect.

"Sorry, baby!" Santana apologised quickly, snapping out of her thoughts. She kissed Bella's head. "I'll be right back. Don't touch the water yet, ok?"

She pulled her shirt off as she walked into her bedroom and heard Brittany's catcall from the table next to the living room. She chuckled to herself. Her fiancée was such a dork.

She pinned her hair up – washing it in the bath was too much of a mission – and pulled her robe on. As she left her bedroom and headed back into the bathroom, she caught Brittany's eye and blew her a kiss. The blonde caught it and smiled that beautiful big smile that she loved so much.

_How is it possible that everything is just so perfect? I'm marrying the most amazing, beautiful, talented, caring woman in the entire world, the only woman I would ever want a family with, which we're also on our way to starting. Just…how did I get so lucky?_

"Mama, ready?"

Santana grinned at Bella and slid onto her knees, pulling her into a tight hug. Bella's giggle was delightful.

"Are you ok?" the little girl whispered, as though they were sharing a secret.

"I am," Santana replied in the same volume. "In fact, I am better than ok. I am fantastic."

Bella giggled again and Santana tested the water temperature. The bubbles were almost overflowing out of the bath. Once she'd added enough cold water, Santana dropped her robe and climbed in, holding her hand out for Bella to climb in after her. As always, her daughter jumped a little from one foot as her legs got used to the temperature. She wiggled her entire body before dropping underneath the water completely. Santana grinned when Bella came up, foam all over her head and face.

"Look at you! You look like an old man with all this foam!"

"Do I have a good beard, Mama?" Bella asked, playing around with the bubbles.

Santana giggled and helped her form a goatee…sort off. As it always was with bubbles, they never stayed in one place for long.

"Mama, your turn."

_Meh. I'll wash it later._

She undid her hair and ducked under the water. The two spent the next ten minutes making funny shapes with the bubbles and just talking about anything and everything.

"Sing me a song?" Santana requested.

Bella pulled her mouth to the side as she thought of one. Her eyebrows went up and she grinned. Her mother cocked her head. She'd wager this was gonna be good.

_Nellie the elephant packed her trunk and  
said goodbye to the circus  
off she went with a trumpety trump  
trump trump trump _

Santana laughed out loud and scooped up a handful of bubbles, blowing them from her hand towards Bella's face. Her daughter stuck out her tongue.

"Bet you don't remember the rest," Bella challenged.

Santana arched a brow. "You really wanna take that bet, baby girl?"

Bella looked a little unsure, but, like Santana, wouldn't back down so easily. "Yes," she said firmly.

The older Latina cleared her throat dramatically and held up a finger, swinging it back and forth like a metronome.

_Nellie the elephant packed her trunk __  
__and trundled off to the jungle __  
__off she went with a trumpety trump __  
__trump trump trump _

Bella clapped her hands gleefully, sending bits of foam everywhere.

"Whoops," she said, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth.

"Don't worry about it, baby girl. We'll clean it up later. Just make sure you don't slip when we get out, ok?"

Bella nodded.

"_Girar, mi carina_," Santana requested and her daughter obliged.

She spent a few moments massaging Bella's head as she worked the shampoo in.

"Feels nice, Mama," Bella murmured.

Santana chuckled. "Don't fall asleep on me now."

"I won't," Bella said though a yawn.

Her mother just smiled again. She turned and grabbed the detachable showerhead, twisting the tap. She squealed when the water that first came out was cold and hit her chest directly. She glanced down.

_Awesome nipple stand, Lopez._

She got the temperature warm and told Bella to close her eyes. She loved washing her daughter's hair. Besides the fact that it was therapeutic, Bella really enjoyed the attention. She hoped that soon, Bella would be more than comfortable allowing Brittany to do things like take baths. She did pretty much everything else – helped pick out her clothes, tucked her into bed, cut her food of she needed it. Brittany was Bella's mother in every way other than biological.

And as far as Santana was concerned, that wasn't important.

"Sing with me, Mama?"

Santana smiled. "Sure thing, baby. What are we singing?"

"That Selena Gomez one!" Bella replied eagerly.

"Oh, I know which one you mean," Santana said knowingly. She leaned closer to her daughter's ear. "Do you wanna use it to call Britt in here?"

Bella's giggle was an absolute giveaway.

"Ok, on the count of three. Ready?"

The little Lopez nodded furiously.

"One…two…three."

_It's been said and done  
Every beautiful thought's been already sung,  
And I guess right now, here's another one.  
So your melody will play on and on with the best of all 'em_

Bella was nodding her head along, joining in on the odd word. Santana suspected she knew the chorus better. She squirted some conditioner into her hands and started weaving her fingers through Bella's long dark hair.

_You are beautiful like a dream come alive, incredible.  
A centrefold, miracle, lyrical.  
You saved my life again  
And I want you to know, baby._

Santana sensed her and turned her head, grinning when saw Brittany leaning against the doorframe. She inclined her head slightly, still continuing the song softly, with Bella joining in on the chorus.

Brittany quickly disappeared, presumably into their bedroom, but appeared not ten seconds later in her robe.

_I do love how quickly she can get undressed._

She indicted for her to go onto the other side of Bella, which Brittany did.

"Mommy!" Bella said excitedly. "You were totally a ninja! I didn't even hear you come in!"

Brittany dropped her robe and Santana had to avert her eyes purely because she felt like a terrible mother thinking the kind of thoughts that she was thinking with her daughter in front of her.

"Well, I tries really hard to give you some Bella/Mama time, but I just ended up missing you too much," Brittany replied, scooping bubbles onto her face to join the party.

Bella giggled. "You look like a clown."

"Well, as long as I look like a funny clown, then I guess that's ok, right?"

Santana had to laugh with Bella at that.

"I don't expect you lovely ladies to stop singing on my account," Brittany encouraged them.

Bella wasted no time in continuing with the chorus. Santana joined in shortly after, sending a smile to her fiancée as she remembered them dancing on stage as she sang the same song at their senior prom. She loved how Brittany just alternated adoring looks between the two of them.

_God, I feel like I'm such some ridiculous romance novel. I'm not mushy!_

_Yeah, right._

Santana rolled her eyes and Brittany caught it, sending her an amused frown. The Latina waved a hand dismissively and continued lathering the conditioner through Bella's hair.

"Baby girl, your hair's getting long," she mused. It hung down to the middle of her back. Granted, it was wet.

"I like it long. It looks like yours," Bella replied simply.

Santana's heart fluttered and Brittany grinned at her.

_Yup. We have the best daughter ever. And I can't wait to do it all over again with Britt._

* * *

"They're here!" Bella called from the living room.

"Huh?" Santana asked, breaking away from Brittany's neck, where she'd been leaving a trail of soft kisses. They were in their bedroom and Santana had Brittany against her wardrobe. It wasn't anything crazy, though. Just some sweet lady kisses. Only kisses. Which, for them, was actually quite surprising.

"Kurt and Quinn are here," Brittany murmured, her hands continuing their roaming underneath Santana's shirt, where they'd been resting for the past fifteen minutes.

"Hmmm." Santana bit her lip. "I love making out with you," she whispered, leaning in and capturing her fiancée's lips again.

Brittany's fingers gripped the naked skin under her shirt and pulled her closer.

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Kurt snapped.

Santana and Brittany jumped apart guiltily.

"Not my fault," Santana immediately muttered.

Brittany chuckled. "Who was pinned against the wardrobe, San?"

"Not my fault you're completely irresistible," Santana insisted, protesting her innocence. "Besides, at least we had clothes on this time."

Kurt sighed. "Please. Everyone in our group has seen the two of you in some form of naked fornicating."

"What's fornicating?" Bella asked, appearing next to Kurt.

_Jesus!_

"Uh, nothing, Little B," Brittany said quickly, dropping her hands that were still under Santana's shirt and walking across the bedroom to their daughter. "Is Quinn here?"

"Not yet," Bella replied.

"Ok, how about we get some drinks? We gotta keep our strength up, right? This could be a long afternoon."

"Why?" Kurt asked curiously.

Santana glanced at Bella, who grinned sneakily. A smile crossed her face. "I'm guessing our little genius left out the reason for your lunch invitation?"

"You would be correct. It's not like I'd turn down free lunch anyway," Kurt said, waving his hand dismissively. "And Missa Bella asked so nicely."

He turned from the bedroom doorway and headed back into the living room. Santana followed and sent Brittany a wink, which she returned. There was another knock on the door and Bella squealed.

"What did you put in her pancakes this morning, baby?" Brittany teased.

"I have no idea," Santana replied, walking into the kitchen to join her. "She's been like this ever since your birthday, though. Ever since-"

"Ever since she found out that she's going to have a little brother or sister sometime soonish," Brittany cut in with a smile. She placed her hands over her flat stomach.

Santana's hand covered hers. "You excited, baby?"

"You have _no_ idea," Brittany breathed, grinning. "I am so ready to be pregnant with our baby."

There were smiles all around when Quinn walked in with Max in his carry case. Bella immediately started fawning over her new best friend.

"She's really taken to him," Kurt commented.

Quinn chuckled and sat down on the couch. "He's easy to fall in love with."

"And, of course, you're not biased at all," Santana teased, sitting on Brittany's lap, locking her hands around her neck.

"Pot calling the kettle black!" Quinn laughed.

"Not if it's true." Santana shrugged. "I take full credit that our baby girl is a total genius."

She felt Brittany squeeze her waist and nuzzle her collarbone. She glanced down and smiled. She knew what had caught Brittany's attention and she loved how much she could say it and it felt totally right.

"God, you two are completely nauseating," Kurt said dryly. "I didn't have to leave my apartment for this, you know."

"Mommy! Mama!" Bella scolded.

Santana pulled away guiltily and slid onto the couch next to Brittany instead.

"Aw, she finally gave you names," Quinn cooed.

"Yeah, I like 'em," Bella said proudly.

"Me too," Brittany added with a small smile.

She linked her fingers with Santana's and the Latina grinned. "Baby girl, you ok there with Max?"

"Yup."

"Ok." Santana turned to face Quinn and Kurt. "So, we have something we'd like to ask you guys."

"Ohmigod, I would love to be the baby's gay godfather!" Kurt squealed.

"What? No. Huh? We haven't even gone to the doctor yet, Porcelain. Calm your gay," Santana replied with a confused shake of her head. "No, Britt and I wanted to ask if you two would help us plan our wedding."

If possible, that got an even bigger squeal from Kurt who immediately started talking a million miles an hour about colour schemes and table clothes and centrepieces.

Santana leaned closer to Quinn. "This is why I asked you as well. You're logical, practical and you'll rein him in."

Quinn smiled. "I'd be honoured, ladies."

"Thanks." Santana glanced at Brittany, who nodded her encouragement. "There's one other thing."

Kurt actually paused in his ramble to listen.

"We want the wedding to be a surprise."

* * *

**A/N: Just a filler fluff to get us back into the swing of things. A surprise wedding (?) and baby plans will pick up now :)** **Ok. So, how is everyone? What have I missed? (Other than the rumours flying around on Twitter?)**

**Also. In protest, Sam Evans will NOT be appearing in this fic in any shape, form or mention. #thatisall**

**Can I just say, regarding the very unclear future of Brittana – guys, we're ALWAYS going to ship Brittana in our hearts. And if Ryan and co (not so much RBI anymore, methinks) can't see what a travesty it is to keep these two apart, then we always have our fanfic world, where, as we all know, BRITTANA IS ENDGAME.**

**Have faith, shippers. They'll always live on ;)**

**News about my novel is all on my Tumblr. Currently waiting for my friend to do the front cover before I publish it. I can say that it will be published in Kindle format HOPEFULLY by the end of Jan, depending on when my friend finishes the cover.**

**I'm also starting a new series of lesbian novels called Sweet Lady Kisses (I checked – no copyright on this :p Unless I missed something…). They'll also be published in Kindle format as soon as they're done.**

**For any kind of updates, check out:**

**Twitter: hlnwst**

**Tumblr: hlnwst**

** : hlnwst**

**Also, any questions, queries, comments, you can review here or ask me :)**

**-H**


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: You guys are awesome :) Thanks for all the love.**

**I did post a hint about the final chapter (which has been written) on Tumblr and it's got people worried – destress! We still have a LONG way to go before we get to last chapter :) Pretty sure we've got a wedding coming up, right…?**

**Also, there is a little religion drama towards the end. Please know that I respect every religion and every person's right to believe what they choose to believe. I just don't think it's fair that some people feel it's ok to force **_**their**_** beliefs on other people. That's pretty much what the last part of this chapter is about. I mean no offence to anyone.**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 49**

"A surprise wedding?" Quinn repeated.

Santana nodded.

"A surprise for you?" Kurt asked in confusion.

Brittany giggled and rested her head on Santana's shoulder. "No, silly. Obviously we know we're getting married. We wouldn't have asked you to plan it otherwise."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but smiled. "I meant do you want the wedding to be a surprise for you? Is that why you're asking us to plan it?"

"Oh, no. We want it to be a surprise for everyone else," Santana replied.

"Colour me intrigued," Quinn murmured.

"We want to have it in like a month, once school lets out for the summer."

"A month?" Kurt gasped. "Are you insane? I can't plan a wedding in a month! There's just way too much to do! We need to book a venue for the ceremony and reception, get you two sized for dresses, and don't-"

"Kurt, shut up."

They all looked at Brittany in surprise. It was unlike her to be so blunt.

"What? Blame Santana. She's rubbing off on me."

"Just…wanky," Santana whispered in her ear, leaving a soft kiss against her neck. Brittany giggled.

"Ok, listen up Porcelain and Preggers, here's what's gonna happen. We – as in me and Britts – will finalise a date by Monday and let you know. This is _not_, I repeat, Kurt, _not_ going to be a big, lavish wedding. Both our dads are more than happy to provide us with whatever budget we want, but we've decided that we don't want a big thing. Also, by the end of next week, you'll have the guest list. Quinn, you can fight with Kurt over who gets to do the placement settings. No arguments, Bella will be our flower girl and we were hoping that Max might be the ring bearer, Q?" Santana asked hopefully.

"Well, I'll have to ask him, but I'm sure he won't mind," Quinn teased. "I'm honoured, Santana, Brittany. Thank you."

They both nodded in response. "Ok," Santana continued. "We will not be having best men, but we will have maids of honour. No bridesmaids. We still have to ask the respective maidens, so you'll get those names once we've got confirmation."

"Oh, please. I know you're asking Rachel and Britt, you're asking your sister, right?"

"Did he read my diary?" Brittany stage-whispered with a straight face. "I thought only Lord Tubbington did that."

Santana chuckled. "I love you."

Brittany scrunched her nose and gave her a big, wet, loud smooch on her cheek.

"Last few things," Santana continued, fighting the blush that was creeping up her neck. The way Brittany was tracing her fingers over the skin told her that she was very aware of it. "Our fathers will both be giving us away. How you two work the actual ceremony is up to you. We don't mind who goes first or last or whatever. Just so long as we both walk down that aisle." She turned to smile at her fiancée, who grinned back.

They were actually doing this. They were planning their wedding. Things were happening. Finally.

* * *

Later that evening, all three were strewn across their large couch and watching _Smash._ Santana was sitting up, her back against the side with Brittany snuggled in her lap. Bella was passed out across Brittany's legs. Santana was running her fingers through Brittany's hair absentmindedly as she watched the TV.

"Do you regret not following your dream?" Brittany asked quietly as Katharine McPhee belted out a song on stage.

Santana's hand stilled momentarily and the question slowly sunk in. "What do you mean, babe? My law degree?"

"No, not that. I know you love performing, especially back in high school. When you took centrestage at Nationals with the Troubletones and just blew everyone away, I knew that you were meant to be up there. But…you didn't. I thought that you'd go into theatre or music or something."

Santana sighed. "You're not wrong, B. There was a time in high school where I seriously considered it. The bug bit big time when I got more of a showing with the Troubletones. That feeling of everyone's eyes being on you as you sing and dance your heart out…it was definitely intoxicating. After we won Nationals and started making plans to move out here, I thought that if the opportunity presented itself then I'd go for it. Before I knew it, I was enrolled at NYU and you were working so hard and then…well, after that I just didn't feel any urge to perform for anyone."

Brittany swivelled slightly in her arms, careful not to move her legs and disturb their sleeping daughter. Santana was alarmed to see unshed tears brimming in the blue eyes she loved so much.

"No, no, baby, don't cry. I don't regret anything that happened, other than that stupid ultimatum. Everything that happened has led us here, to this point. I'm living with you and we're planning our wedding and we have the most beautiful daughter in the world. Everything is so perfect. _So_ perfect."

"But…don't you miss performing?"

Santana shrugged. "Sometimes. But between the musical and Glee Nights, I sing enough to satisfy that desire. I don't need anything more than that. Well, maybe with our plans to start up a Glee Club at Griffin Hill, I'll be set." She cupped Brittany's cheek in her hand and leaned down to give her a sweet kiss. "Baby, don't worry about me. I'm so happy with my life. I love teaching. I love our school. I love that we work together. As long as you and Bella are happy, that's all I need."

Brittany just stared at her, rendered speechless by her fiancée's passionate words. "How did I ever get so lucky?" she murmured. "I got to fall in love with you when we were growing up and then got to do it all over again as an adult."

Santana smiled. "Luck has nothing to do with it, babe. Soulmates are always meant to find each other. It's not possible for them to be apart. Look at us. A year ago, I never would've guessed that I'd be where I am right now, but it happened because it was meant to. B, we didn't do so great apart. We're best when we're together. Which works well for me because I plan to keep you close for a very, very, _very_ long time."

Brittany's smile blinded Santana in the best way possible and she leaned down for another kiss, this one a little more intimate with tongues softly roaming around each other's mouths.

"Let's go to bed, baby." Santana whispered. "Tomorrow we should have a picnic in the park. Just spend some time as a family before this crazy week hits us."

"That sounds perfect, love," Brittany replied with an adoring smile. She sat up and easily lifted Bella into her arms. Santana smiled as their daughter immediately moulded to her mom's protective hold.

_This is what happiness is. And we deserve this. We deserve to be happy and to love each other forever._

* * *

Santana was already in bed when Brittany entered, closing the door behind her.

"She woke up as I tucked her in and demanded a story," Brittany explained, quickly undressing.

"And it turned into an elaborate tale with several characters and plot lines in various parts of the real and imaginative world, right?" Santana replied, her eyes raking appreciatively over Brittany's naked skin. She'd never get tired of looking at her fiancée. She'd also never get tired of appreciating her body in any number of ways.

Brittany jumped onto the bed and snuggled close to her fiancée. It made her smile and return the hug.

"Hmmm. I think I've just started a new story series with her." Brittany's voice was muffled from where she'd burrowed into her neck. She placed several soft kisses and wrapped her arm tightly around Santana's waist. "I think it'll take a few weeks to finish."

"Aw, so I miss out on goodnight tuck ins for a while," Santana said with a pout.

Brittany smiled and pecked Santana's bottom lip until it had disappeared. "You know you can always join us, baby. Bella's bedtime rituals don't need to be divided between us. I think she prefers it when both is us tuck her in."

"Sounds perfect, babe," Santana replied, meeting Brittany's lips for a long, languid kiss.

They ended up laying on their sides, facing each other and still kissing. Their bodies were pressed tightly together and their legs were entwined.

"I could kiss you forever," Brittany breathed against Santana's lips, fusing them together once more.

Santana moaned in agreement and kissed her fiancée back with just as much passion. Brittany broke away from her lips and traced them across her skin, any that was available to her. Santana giggled when she hit a ticklish spot and Brittany pulled back slightly, resting her head on the pillow and just looking at her fiancée with a loving smile.

"What are you thinking?" Santana asked quietly, nuzzling her nose against the blonde's.

"How beautiful you are," Brittany replied. "And how absolutely amazing you're going to look on our wedding day. I'm going to have to try really hard not to jump you the second I see you because I know I'll want to."

Santana smiled bashfully. "Well, I have a possible solution to that, my gorgeous fiancée."

"Oh, yeah?" Brittany moved closer. "Would it involve a steamy quickie before we walk down the aisle?"

"How well you know me," Santana murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

Brittany broke away after a short, but steamy make out session. "But what about the whole tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding?"

Santana looked thoughtful. "If you want to, we can, baby."

"You don't want to, though."

"Well, it's not that. I'm happy to do that if it's what you want. I just…I feel like we're not very traditional and I kinda like that about us, you know?"

Brittany smiled and nodded. "So, dresses and everything?"

Santana smirked. "Well, if I'm going to give you a crazy good orgasm right before we say our vows, we may have to risk it."

"Right," Brittany said in mock seriousness. "So I'm going to have to ensure that my dress has easy access. Something with a long slit or a loose skirt."

"Hmmm. I definitely like the idea of a long slit. Do you have an idea of what you want your dress to look like?"

Brittany shrugged slightly. "Not really. I think I'll know when I see it. An epidural moment."

"An epiphany, babe?"

"That's what I said."

"I know."

Their lips met again.

"We can go and start looking at dresses on Friday. How does that sound?"

Brittany nodded eagerly and pulled Santana into a hug. "This is finally happening, isn't it?"

"It is, baby. We're finally going to belong to each other in every way possible."

"That's all I've ever wanted. I only want to be yours, San."

* * *

Santana and Bella were singing along to a Taylor Swift song about, surprise, a break up as they cleaned the living room before heading to the park for a light picnic lunch. Brittany had gone to brunch with her family, and Santana had insisted that she and Bella would stay home and clean so that the Pierces could get some one-on-one family time.

"You're not gonna break up with Mommy, right, Mama?" Bella asked once the song had ended.

"Never ever. Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever," Santana said with a smile.

Bella giggled. "That's good. I'm really happy that Britt's my mommy now."

"Me too, baby girl. So very much."

"Do I get my own dress cos I'm gonna be the flower girl?"

"Absolutely!" Santana exclaimed. "Maybe, if we ask Kurt _really_ nicely, he'll make you one."

"I'll ask him super nicely, Mama. But he'll say yes cos he loves me."

Santana laughed. "I know he will."

They continued with their chores to the soundtrack from the iHome playing around them.

"Mama?"

"_Si, mi amor_?"

When Bella didn't say anything, Santana glanced up and saw her daughter biting her lip, a surefire sign that she wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how to ask it or whether it was offensive or not.

"Just ask, baby," Santana said with a smile. "I won't be upset."

"Ok." Bella took a breath. "Will my baby brother or sister be here in time for the wedding?"

_Oh. Shit._

"Um, no, baby. I'm sorry."

"Can't we try? Everything would be so much better."

_Ugh. Really hoped I had a few years until this talk came up._

"Ok, Bella. Let's have some mother/daughter time."

"Ice cream?" Bella's eyes lit up.

Santana chuckled. "Sure. Go turn the music off for me and make yourself comfortable."

"Uh oh. Is it gonna be one of _those_ talks?" Bella asked with a grimace.

"Hey, you asked the question, baby girl. If you want the answer, we gotta have one of _those_ talks." Santana opened the freezer and pulled out a tub of their favourite ice cream, grabbed two spoons from the drawer and headed back to the couch.

Santana sat in the corner of the couch, swivelled and put her legs across the cushions. She wiggled to get comfortable, then bent her legs, indicating for Bella to climb up. They took their usual positions when they had their talks and Santana popped open the tub. Once both of them had eaten a spoonful of ice cream, Santana caught her daughter's eyes.

"Ok. Tell me what you know about where babies come from?"

Bella wasn't stupid and Santana wasn't about to underestimate that she already knew a few things.

"Well, I know that they live in tummies until they're ready. I know that the mommy who has the baby can make food for the baby to live and grow and be healthy. Um…and the baby will look like the mommy that has him. Or her. Cos that's why I look like you." She grinned triumphantly.

"That is absolutely true, baby. Do you remember how long you were in my tummy for?"

Bella frowned and looked up, as though the ceiling may have the answer. Eventually, she looked dejected and shook her head.

"That's ok, Bella. Don't worry about it. Here, I'm going to show you why babies take so long." She put the ice cream and spoons on the table and shuffled down a bit. She lifted her shirt to sit just under her bra and took Bella's hands.

"How long did I live in your tummy, Mama?"

"Eight months, three weeks and one day exactly," Santana recited. "Just over thirty-five weeks. Babies take thirty-six weeks, which is nine months, to get ready, but it can be different for every woman. Quinn had her baby at thirty-four weeks."

"Max?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Um, no…" she replied slowly. "Oops. Um, ok, we'll talk to Quinn about that later." Santana gripped her hands. "So when you started in my tummy, it looked just like this." She placed her daughter's hands against her flat stomach. "In fact, my tummy stayed like this for about two months. I knew you were in there, though. You were super small. At two months, you were about the size of a kidney bean." She measured the size with her fingers.

Bella's eyes went wide. "Was I really that small?"

"You were indeed, baby girl. And you were crazy hungry. Between two months and four months, I put on a lot of weight and you were about five inches long. One of the pretty awesome things about a woman's body is that the tummy stretches as the baby grows. So my skin and my insides and everything stretched to about this size." She made a dome shape and kept Bella's hand on her imaginary pregnant tummy. She smiled as she remembered spending hours caressing her swollen belly and humming tunes to her unborn daughter.

"You protected me, Mama?"

"I did everything I could to make sure that you were safe. My body changed as you grew in my tummy and everything around you made sure you wouldn't be hurt. But pregnant women still have to be careful because babies take a lot out of us."

Bella pouted. "Did I make you hurt?"

Santana shook her head and smiled. "You didn't, baby. You were a perfect baby in my tummy. When you came out, well, that's a different story," she teased.

Bella stuck her tongue out, leaned down before Santana could stop her and blew a raspberry, causing her mother to squeal.

"Do I even want to know what's going on?" Brittany asked, standing in the open doorway, a confused smile playing on her lips.

"Mommy!" Bella cheered. "Come sit with us! Mama's showing me what I was like in her tummy."

Brittany's eyes went wide, as did her smile and she quickly closed the door. Santana scooted forward on the couch, keeping Bella steady against her legs. She smiled at her fiancée as she kicked her shoes off and slid in behind Santana, her strong legs curling around her protectively.

"Hi, baby," Brittany whispered, her hands automatically tracing along Santana's naked stomach. The action sent uncountable shivers through the Latina.

Santana turned her head for a quick hello kiss because, come on, they couldn't _not_ kiss each other after being apart for three hours. She snuggled back into Brittany, immediately getting comfortable. This was one of their favourite positions to relax in so it didn't take a lot to find their fit.

"Ok, where was I?" Santana asked, smiling at Bella.

"Four months!" she replied excitedly.

"Right. Ok, so at four months, most of the initial dangers of being pregnant have passed. Remember how long babies are inside the mommy's tummy for?"

"Nine months," Bella recited immediately.

"Those nine months are divided into three trimesters, and each one is three months long."

"Tri means three," Bella said proudly.

Santana grinned.

"Our little girl's pretty smart, isn't she?" Brittany commented, faking surprise.

"I think she gets that from you, B," Santana said affectionately, resting her head back against her fiancée's shoulder.

"God, I love you," Brittany whispered in her ear, her hands tightening on her waist.

"Love you more."

"But you love me most," Bella declared.

Brittany and Santana laughed.

"Very true, baby girl," Santana agreed. "So the first trimester is the worry period. The mommy's body is changing so much and it's getting used to adjusting how to provide for a whole new person growing inside. This is where the most problems occur and where the baby isn't as protected yet. Luckily, you didn't give me too many problems until we hit month six."

Bella's eyes went wide. "Why?" she asked meekly.

"Because at four months you made my tummy this big." Santana showed her again and felt Brittany's fingers dig into her waist in excitement. This was just as momentous for Brittany as it was for their daughter. "And then, in a matter of six weeks, you made me balloon and I was _this_ big." She moved Bella's hands out over her invisible six-month pregnant tummy.

Bella giggled. "I'm sorry, Mama."

"Don't be! You're were growing super fast and super healthily and my doctor said that she was very happy with your development."

"It's cos you took such good of me," Bella said sincerely, smiling at Santana.

_Oh, God. She's gonna make me cry._

"Thank you, baby girl. That means so much."

"Mommy, we'll make sure that the new baby is also protected," Bella vowed.

"Oh, I have no doubt you will, Little B. Between you and Mama, I'm not going to be able to do anything."

"The baby won't make you sick, will it?" their little girl suddenly asked in fear.

"Well, in the beginning it does, but it's normal."

"Mama, I didn't mean to make you sick! I'm sorry!"

Santana smiled, and released on of Bella's hands to cup her cheek. "You didn't know, baby girl. And morning sickness is very, very normal for mommies with babies inside them. Mine passed after five months. And it definitely wasn't morning sickness. I used to get sick in the afternoon. Walking home and passing all the food stands just completely upset my stomach." She grimaced at the memory.

Santana heard Brittany sigh behind her and she bit her lip. She knew exactly what she was thinking and she wanted nothing more than to turn around and comfort her. But it seemed inappropriate with Bella sitting there with an expectant smile. She decided to finish the story first.

"So at six months, I was pretty big, but I think it showed more because I'm so thin. Well," she chuckled, "I was."

"Mama, you're still super pretty and thin," Bella insisted.

"Oh, thank you, Bella. Yeah, I look like I did before I was pregnant, but it wasn't just my tummy that got bigger. _Everything _got bigger. My legs, my feet. Ugh, my ankles. My arms went a little flabby and my boobs…well, they got even bigger."

Bella giggled. She was used to her mom going on about her 'twins'. "Mommy, will that happen to you as well?"

"Most probably. I'll try and keep as fit as I'm able to until I can't anymore, but I'll probably turn into a Teletubbie or something."

Bella and Santana laughed.

"You can be the pink Teletubbie!" Bella exclaimed.

"Honey, there isn't a pink Teletubbie," Santana countered.

"Sssh, yes there is," their daughter argued. "Tell her, Mommy!"

Brittany cleared her throat. "Remember that story?"

"Ah. Right. Got it. Ok, so Mommy's the pink Teletubbie. Does she have a name?"

"Not yet," Bella replied. "But when the baby's in Mommy's tummy, we'll come up with one."

Santana smiled and it got her thinking about baby names. As soon as she'd found out she was having a girl, Isabella had been a no-brainer.

"I know what you're thinking about," Brittany teased, running her finger subtly up and down Santana's bare stomach.

"I know you do."

"I don't," Bella piped up.

"Baby names," Santana said, wiggling her eyebrows.

As expected, Bella's eyes went wide and both adults could see how the cogs in her mind started turning at super speed.

"Before you start making a list, how about we finish the story?" Santana suggested.

"Ok."

"So even though I looked and walked like a penguin and I was _this_ big, I didn't mind. Do you want to know why?" Santana showed Bella how big she'd been at eight months.

Their daughter nodded eagerly.

"Because I could feel you moving inside me," Santana said quietly, looking tenderly at their daughter. "That was one of the best feelings in the world. I'd be talking to you or singing to you and you'd give me a little kick or move around like you were dancing."

"Really?" Bella asked with a big smile. "Did I say hello, Mama?"

"Most definitely, baby girl. Whenever you gave me a kick, I knew you were saying hello, so I'd say hello back. You know how much you like having your back rubbed when you're about to fall asleep?"

She nodded.

"Well, I like to think that you enjoy that so much because I used to rub my tummy just like that when you were all curled up in there."

Bella looked down at her hands resting on the invisible dome on her mom's stomach.

"Mama," she whispered emotionally.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Santana in concern, dropping Bella's hands and pulling her close.

"N-Nothing's wrong. I…You did so much for me when I wasn't even Bella yet. You protected me and looked after me and fed me and loved me and I want to say thank you, but no words in my head seem enough."

"Oh, baby," Santana cooed. "Having you grow inside me for nine months was something I would do over again if it meant that I got to have you in my life. You don't have to thank me, Bella. I'm your Mama and nothing will every change how much I love you and how I will always continue to do all of those things even though you're out of my tummy."

"I know," Bella sniffled.

"Both of us are gonna do the same for Mommy when she's pregnant, right?" Santana asked with a smile.

Their daughter nodded furiously. "Mommy, we're gonna make sure you're ok all the time so that my baby brother or sister will be born in nine months."

_Oops._

"Um, Bella. Mommy's not pregnant yet. We…we have to go and see the doctor first. Remember we're going there on Tuesday?"

"Will the doctor give Mommy a baby?"

"Something like that," Santana murmured, averting her eyes as the realisation that they'd never be able to have a child truly equal parts of them both flashed through her mind again.

"Bella, are you still up for the park?" Brittany asked quietly, sensing Santana's shift on mood.

"Yes!"

"Ok, how about you go wash up and get dressed in comfy clothes?"

Bella jumped off her mom's lap and paused before running off to her room. Santana forced herself to still her thoughts and focus on her daughter.

"Thank you for telling me that story, Mama." She leaned in to kiss her cheek. "_Te amo_."

"_Te amo, mija_. And you're welcome."

Bella took off and Brittany immediately shifted, using her strength to make them both lay down across the couch. Santana turned into her fiancée and just buried her face into her neck, inhaling everything that was Brittany.

"I know, sweetie. I know," the blonde whispered, holding her tight. "We both wish that could happen."

"It's not fair," Santana mumbled. "We could give our child the most loving home in the world. They would never feel unwanted or neglected or anything. How many kids out there are created because of a _natural_ 'mistake'? I know Bella kinda was, but it…I…"

"Santana, listen to me. The baby that grows inside my tummy will be ours and ours alone. That is what I truly believe, science be damned. You are the only person in the world that I ever even thought about having a family with and now we're making that happen. I don't care about some underlying logistics that might tell us otherwise. This baby will be ours, both yours and mine and we will love it and Bella with everything we are. Besides, you already gave me a birthday present that said Bella's mine. You can't take that away from me now," she added, teasing lightly.

Santana lifted her head to look at Brittany, sniffling quietly. "How do you make everything sound ok?"

Brittany squeezed her closer and rested her forehead against Santana's. "Because we're going to be more than ok, San. We're in love, we're happy, we're getting married and we're going to have a baby. And everything we do will be together."

Santana couldn't stop herself from kissing Brittany desperately, wanting more than anything to let her fiancée's assuredness wash over her. It seemed to her the Brittany was trying to send that reassurance in her kiss. Santana swallowed it whole, allowing the concrete belief that the baby that would soon be growing in Brittany's stomach would be theirs and only theirs.

* * *

"Mommy! Is this right?" Bella called, doing a cute little shimmy.

Santana giggled. "She's so your daughter."

"She's ours," Brittany whispered, kissing her fiancée's cheek. "You're doing so awesomely, Little B!"

They were sitting on a blanket in Central Park. It was a gorgeous afternoon and Bella was making the most of the space afforded to her. She'd decided to re-enact the opening sequence to _Glee_ for her moms.

"Baby girl, you look super good," Santana praised.

Bella beamed and continued her little dance.

"I'm so excited to do this all over again with you," Santana said after a moment of comfortable silence as they watched their daughter.

Brittany shuffled from her position next to her to behind her, pulling Santana back into her. She wrapped her arms around her waist and nuzzled the hair against her neck, making the Latina giggle.

"You say things like that and I fall more in love with you, even though I never think that it's possible for me to love you more than I already do."

"Love you too, babe." Santana kept her eyes on Bella as Brittany gave her soft kisses on her cheek.

"Excuse me, would you mind not behaving like that? This is a public area."

Both women turned to their left and Santana's eyes narrowed at a woman a little older than them. She was looking at them with barely concealed disgust. Santana's eyes flickered down and saw a small boy of about four clutching her hand, looking at them curiously.

She lifted her eyes again to the woman, arched an eyebrow and promptly settled back against Brittany, who held her a little tighter.

"Did you hear me?"

"Unfortunately," Santana said dryly. "In case you missed the memo, we're ignoring you."

"San," Brittany whispered.

"What you're doing isn't-"

"Isn't what?" Santana snapped suddenly, looking back to the woman. "Normal? You think being a bigot makes you better than me? Guess what, lady. This is the twenty-first century. You need to deal with the fact that I am entitled to express my love for my fiancée if I wish to."

The woman shook her head. "You're going to hell."

"I'll save you a seat."

"Bitch."

"Hypocrite."

"Santana," Brittany whispered sharply. "Enough. Stop antagonising her."

The Latina tried to calm her simmering temper and focused on Bella, who had stopped her dancing and was watching the exchange.

"The Bible says-"

"Hey!"

Bella stormed up to the woman. "Stop being mean to my mommies! I don't care if you think it's wrong that they love each other because it doesn't matter to us. They are the best mommies I could ever have wished for and I bet your son is just jealous because his parents don't love each other like mine do. My mommies are better than you will ever be and no one can say otherwise!"

Santana resisted the urge to clap. Brittany's hands twitching on her stomach told her that she was trying to do the same.

"I…I…You-"

"Go away now, please." Bella folded her arms across her chest and glared at her defiantly.

Santana couldn't stop the snort that came out of her mouth.

"You teach your daughter to speak to her elders like that?" the woman raged.

"No," Santana replied calmly. "I teach to love everyone equally and to ignore the idiots who think that just because we're two women that we're incapable of doing _everything_ that a so-called 'normal' couple can. I also teach her to have a mind of her own, one where she can form her own opinions about people and things because I don't think that anyone should live their lives according to what their parents believe."

"Or what a storybook says," Brittany added.

_Snap. Nice one, Britt._

"St-Storybook?" the woman squeaked indignantly.

"You know what? I came here for an enjoyable afternoon with my family. I did not come here for a speech on religion and piousness. I'm not an idiot. I know that people like you will always exist to try and make me feel like I am living a sin by marrying the woman I love and raising a family together. But guess what? I'm going to do it anyway. As will every gay person in the world. You'd be better off accepting that love is love instead of sticking to some ancient story that tells you it only exists between a man and a woman. Learn to stand on your own two feet. Don't let your life be run by a book."

"As my daughter said, go away now, please," Brittany added again.

The woman's mouth opened and closed and Santana simply ignored her, turning to the picnic basket next to them and pulling out some grapes.

"Here you go, baby girl," she said, offering some to Bella.

Their daughter took them happily and bit down hard, causing some juice to squirt out and hit Santana in the eye. Brittany and Bella immediately burst out laughing as Santana tried to get the juice out.

"Seriously, that wasn't even funny!" she complained.

"It was hilarious, love." She held up a hand for Bella. "Awesome aim, Little B." Bella met it enthusiastically.

"Ugh, I'm so getting you both back later."

"Only if you can catch me," Bella taunted.

"Is that a challenge, daughter?"

Bella wiggled her eyebrows and Santana grinned, breaking easily out of Brittany's loose grasp and chasing after her. Nothing would beat her daughter's happy laughter as she sprinted after her, and no hater was going to ruin the future she'd set up for herself.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, no offence meant to anyone. Believe whatever you believe :) Faith is one of the most powerful things in the world. Mine is just placed in something a little different than most, i.e.: not an ethereal being.**

**If you wanna hate, shout, yell, kick (virtually, of course) and scream at me, feel free. I don't write words just for the sake of writing words. If I'm evoking a response in you, I would **_**love**_** to hear it. Seriously.**

**Enjoy the rest of your weekend, guys :)**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N: Hey, guys. This is a re-post. Consider it a Ch. 50 v2. It came to my attention that I had kinda botched the whole baby doctor visit and I try to be as realistic a writer as I can, which I wasn't in this case. So I've edited and changed most of what happens in that scene and nixed the sweet lady love (sorry – plenty more in later chapters).**

**Many thanks to vontramp for her patient support and incredible knowledge on this subject. I have learned a lot :)**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 50**

Santana looked up from her script that was so covered in notes and highlighted parts that she could barely make out the actual dialogue. Just as well she knew the whole thing by heart.

"Chlo, what's the problem?" she called with slight irritation. They were in their final dress rehearsal before opening night on Thursday and she was having a problem getting the young girl to concentrate. She'd missed her cue for the second time in a row and was fumbling her lines.

"I, um…Sorry, Ms. L. I'm…"

Santana frowned. Something was up. She stood from her desk and headed down to the stage. "Guys, I hate to do this, but let's take five. We'll resume from the beginning of the _Cold Shoulder _scene in the choir room." She inclined her head to Chloe, who looked nervous and embarrassed about being singled out.

"What's going on?" Santana asked once the teenager was standing in front of her. She'd moved to the side of the auditorium so that no one would hear them.

"I…she…my…." Chloe tried to explain, but gave up and her shoulders slumped.

Santana pursed her lips. "Look, Chloe, you know that you can always come and talk to me, but right now you're holding up rehearsal for everyone else. Ms. Pierce and I have a really important appointment in two hours and I don't want to be late for it. What's going on?" she asked again.

Chloe squeezed her eyes closed. "I gave my two comps to Rachel and Finn cos I really want them to come and they've been really excited. But then I got a message from my m-mom, asking if I had a ticket for her."

Santana's eyes went wide. "Your mom? Wow, ok. Um, has she contacted you at all since you moved out?"

Chloe shook her head. "I thought she hated me as much as my dad. I mean, why has she waited so long to contact me? She just…she abandoned me when I needed her the most."

Santana nodded in understanding. She knew what it felt like to be abandoned by her parents. It was a feeling she didn't wish on anyone.

"What are you going to do?" the Latina asked.

Chloe shrugged. "I don't feel like the first time we see each other again should be when I'm up on stage singing and dancing about my sexuality."

"Here's a thought. Buy her a ticket and text her or call her, saying that you'd like to have dinner or meet for coffee or whatever and that if she wants a ticket, she can get it from you then. You can see how things go and if you _both_ still want her to come to opening night, then that's great."

Chloe's eyes went wide. "How in the hell am I supposed to do that? I c-can't see her! I don't even know if she wants to see me."

Santana put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Do you really think she would've asked for a ticket if she didn't want to see you? I know it's daunting. And it's scary as hell. I may be playing devil's advocate here, but if your mom is reaching out to you, regardless of it being overdue, do you really want to deny her that? Or even deny yourself that?"

The young girl furrowed her brows as she thought about it. Santana chewed her bottom lip. Chloe had already had to deal with so much, but if her mom – the woman who'd given birth to her – wanted to try and make amends or get to know her daughter, _really_ get to know her, she'd encourage it.

"But…" Chloe's voice trailed off as she no doubtedly weighed the pros and cons in her head.

"Chloe, you are one of the strongest people I know," Santana said truthfully. "Despite everything that's been thrown at you, you've become a passionate, open, honest and loving person. Remember that – you've come a very long way from your parents' house. Your mom can't tell you what to do or who to be because you've already proven that they can't define you."

They grinned at each other and Santana could almost feel the tension lift from the teen's shoulders.

"Thanks, Ms. L. Once again, you know exactly what to say to make me feel better."

Santana shrugged and brushed her fingernails against her shirt. "Duh."

"Mama!"

"Hurricane Bella incoming. Excuse me."

Santana turned around and crouched down just in time to catch a flying Bella in her arms.

"Whoa, baby girl. Whose spinach did you have for lunch?"

"Ew, spinach. Yuck," Bella replied, making a face.

"Agreed," Santana chuckled, pulling her daughter close for a hug. "Hmmm, missed you today. How was school?"

"So much fun! Ms. Reacher gave me a new book to read!" She wiggled out of her backpack and rummaged around, finally presenting Santana with a well-read book.

"_The Magician's Nephew_. That's awesome, baby. You're gonna love this series."

"There were movies!" Bella exclaimed excitedly.

"Some of them were, yes."

"I'm gonna read the books first."

"Books are always better," Santana said with a wink.

"Yup."

Santana held Bella close and stood up. Brittany sent her a wink and blew her a kiss as she walked past them and hopped up on the stage effortlessly. Naturally, the Latina couldn't take her eyes off her.

"Mama? Mama!" Bella was shaking her arm.

"Hmm, what?" she asked in a daze.

Bella shook her head disapprovingly. "Stop staring at Mommy like that! You're at school."

"Snap, scolded by the little one," Chloe murmured.

Santana spun around and arched an eyebrow. "Back on stage, missy."

Chloe smiled sheepishly and quickly made her way back to the stage. Santana walked back up to her desk and called everyone to their places.

"Let's have a clean run through for the remainder of the show, guys and girls," Santana said. "5, 6, 7, 8, and go."

* * *

Brittany's knee bounced as she sat in the chair in the doctor's waiting room. Santana had taken Bella to the bathroom and her nervous energy was reaching an uncontrollable high. She was beyond excited that they were finally taking the step to increasing their family. As their appointment had neared, Brittany found herself freaking out. What if there were problems? What if _she_ was the problem? What if they couldn't find a donor? What if there was something wrong with her inside baby making parts? What if she miscarried? What if-

"Hey, baby," Santana whispered, sliding into the chair next to her. The Latina immediately pressed a comforting kiss to Brittany's temple. "Get out of your head. Don't overthink, ok? Everything will be fine."

"W-what if it's not?"

"Then we'll deal with it. Together. Baby, even if for some inexplicable reason there are problems, it won't make me love you any less." Santana gently cupped Brittany's cheek and forced her to look at her. "I firmly believe that you were born to be a mother. The fact that we'll be moms together just makes me so unbelievably happy. I have faith, B. I have faith in you, in your banging body and I believe wholeheartedly in us."

Brittany couldn't help but smile. Santana always gave the best pep talks. Not that Brittany was often down in the dumps, but she always knew exactly what to say to get her smiling again.

"I know you're a little nervous, so I'll be excited enough for both of us," she continued, a big smile crossing her face. "Cos I can't _wait_ to take care of my pregnant wife."

Brittany blushed and looked down. Hearing Santana say it like that made her insides flutter. She may not have been around when Santana was pregnant, but they were definitely going to make up for lost time this time round. Of that she was absolutely certain. As a smile crossed her face, she realised how much she couldn't wait either.

"Santana and Brittany?"

The blonde looked up. Santana had already stood and was walking over to a tall doctor with cropped short hair and glasses.

"Well, well. I can't say that I ever thought I'd see you back here," the doctor teased good-naturedly, giving Santana a warm hug. It wasn't long before Brittany was on her feet and walking over to them. She wasn't sure how comfortable she was with her fiancée hugging a doctor that had seen Santana's lady bits in ways that she should only see them.

_A little premature with the paranoia? Preparing early?_

Brittany resisted rolling her eyes at her inner voice. She'd named it Kiki. For some reason, it had a little Indian accent going on.

"Dr. Marlowe, this is my fiancée, Brittany Pierce," Santana introduced them, entwining her fingers with Brittany's and smiling.

"A pleasure, Brittany," Dr. Marlowe said with a friendly smile, holding her hand out to shake.

Brittany's outgoing personality stepped out and she returned the smile and handshake. "Nice to meet you."

Dr. Marlowe gripped the folder in her hands. "Shall we move this to my office?"

"Sure," Santana replied. She glanced back at the waiting room. "Bella?"

"Yes, Mama?" The little girl came bounding.

"Oh, my. How time flies," Dr. Marlowe murmured.

Santana chuckled and bent down to pick Bella up. "Tell me about it. Bella, this is Dr. Marlowe."

"Oh! You're the baby doctor that's gonna put a little brother or sister in my mommy."

Dr. Marlowe smiled. "Something like that. You're a lot bigger than the last time I saw you, Isabella."

Bella leaned to Brittany. "Am I in trouble?" she whispered.

"Nope. That's how she knows you, Little B. This is the doctor that helped when you were tired of being in Mama's tummy."

Bella grinned. "You let me meet Mama! I like you."

All three adults laughed and Dr. Marlowe turned, walking a little way until she reached her office. Once they were all settled, Bella perched on Santana's lap and her hand holding Brittany's securely, Dr. Marlowe went into business mode.

"Ok, so you're looking to have a baby. Who will be carrying this time?"

"I will," Brittany responded and turned to smile at Santana when she felt her squeeze her hand.

"Great. Just a few standard questions, Brittany. Are you currently on the pill or any form of birth control?"

The blonde giggled. "Definitely not. I haven't been since high school."

"Good. That's good news. Are you on any medication? No prescriptions or chronic medication?"

"Nope."

"She's super healthy," Santana added proudly.

"Well, she certainly looks healthy," Dr. Marlowe commented. "Are you active, Brittany?"

"Yup. Every night. Sometimes in the morning if Santana's-"

Santana interrupted her, coughing loudly. "Um, baby, she's not talking about _that_ kind of active. She means your dancing."

"Oh!" Brittany went red. "Sorry."

Dr. Marlowe laughed. "Don't worry about it. Actually, it's a good thing that you two are…active."

"I agree," Brittany smirked, winking at her fiancée, who blushed. Bella just looked around the office, thankfully unaware of the underlying conversation the adults were having.

"Ok, moving along. Santana mentioned that you're a dancer?"

"Yeah, I teach now mostly. I used to dance professionally up until just over a year ago."

"How much dancing would you say you do daily?"

"Like actual dancing?"

Dr. Marlowe nodded.

"Um…well, out of a six hour school day, excluding extra lessons after school and the musical, I guess about four hours in total. With all the extras, probably closer to six. But I don't dance on weekends."

"Unless it's with me!" Bella said proudly.

"Absolutely, Little B."

They smiled at each other.

"I'm really glad to hear you're in good shape and that you have an active lifestyle to keep it up. You eat healthy, right?"

"Well, I mean, we don't eat badly, but I guess we could always be better. I mean, everyone can, right?"

"Very true." Dr. Marlowe smiled. "What I mean is, no excessive take out eating or caffeine. That kind of thing."

"Oh, she doesn't need caffeine," Santana said with a smile. "She's her own energy drink."

""So far, so good, ladies. You're in great shape, Brittany, you're healthy and your age is working for you too."

"Told you," Santana leaned in and whispered.

Brittany squeezed her hand in response.

"Last two questions," Dr. Marlowe said. "You're regular, right?"

"Like clockwork," she and Santana said in unison.

"Both of us are," Brittany added.

"You're synced up?"

They nodded.

"At least it means crappy hormones for five days once a month as opposed to twice," Santana said. "Well, crappy hormones on my side. Britt never gets crabby."

"I have no reason to be," Brittany replied, lifting their joined hands and kissed the brunette's warm skin.

"Aw, you guys are so cute," Dr. Marlowe cooed.

"No, they're not!" Bella argued. "They do it _all_ the time. Like all the time."

"Would you prefer that we didn't show how much we loved each other, baby girl?" Santana teased.

"No," the little girl said after a pause. "But you have lots of good luck."

Both women flushed.

"Good luck?" Dr. Marlowe asked with interest.

Santana quickly covered Bella's ears. "Our codename for our activities," she said quickly and the doctor nodded in understanding.

Bella was batting at her mother's hands. "What did you say?" she demanded.

"Adult secrets," Brittany said. "You know, the boring kind."

"Totally," Bella agreed. "When do I get to see the baby, Mama?"

"She's quite eager to meet her new sibling," Santana told Dr. Marlowe.

"I can tell. Well, Bella, we first have to check and see if Brittany is ready to have a baby grow inside her."

Bella's eyes and smile grew. "And then I'll have a baby brother or sister in nine months?"

"That's the plan," Dr. Marlowe replied. "Brittany, I'll need you to go next door to do some tests and make sure that everything is ok."

The blonde nodded. "I had my last physical like three months ago, but I get that this is a different kind of test."

"That it is." Dr. Marlowe stood. "Would you like to join me in the exam room next door?"

They followed her into a room that Santana recognised immediately. She'd had her first sonogram here.

"Baby girl, this is where I saw you inside my tummy for the first time," she whispered to Bella.

"Really?" Bella squealed excitedly. "When will we get to see the baby inside Mommy's tummy?"

"Not for a while, baby girl. Remember I told you that it's a process. We may have to wait for the right baby to choose us. That's up to him or her."

Bella nodded. "Cos my little baby brother or sister knows that we'll be the perfect family."

Brittany met Santana's eyes and smiled.

"Brittany?" Dr. Marlowe queried.

The blonde turned to the doctor.

"I'll need you get undressed. There's a gown for you to put on inside the cubical."

"Mama, I wanna go with," Bella said, squirming in Santana's arms. She put the little girl down and Brittany took her hand as they entered the cubicle.

"Is this where they put the baby in?" she asked innocently, looking up at her mom as she undressed.

Brittany smiled. "No, Dr. Marlowe will do that later. But I've gotta do some super gymnastics moves so I need to wear this gown."

Bella nodded in understanding and began folding Brittany's clothes as she removed them.

"Mommy, why are you taking your panties off?"

Brittany blushed. She supposed she'd have to get used to Bella's inappropriate questions with everything that was going to be happening in the coming months.

"Because Dr. Marlowe needs to check me and this is the easiest way to do it."

Her daughter pulled a face and covered her own parts with her hand. "I don't want a doctor looking at me."

"Oh, sweetie, it will be a _very_ long time before a doctor has to look there. Don't worry about it."

"Ok, good." Bella seemed relieved as Brittany slipped the gown over her head.

"Can you tie this at the back for me, Little B?"

"I'm super good at knots."

"I know. That's why I asked you."

They smiled.

"Ok, ready?" Brittany asked, holding out her hand.

Bella reached up and Brittany grinned, leaning down to pick her up. Even for seven, she was still pretty small, much like her mama had been at that age.

"So fashionable, B," Santana teased.

"I know, right? We should get Kurt to use me as a model for his new hospital gown collection," Brittany said with a straight face.

Santana burst out laughing and Dr. Marlowe looked like she wasn't sure if Britt was joking or not.

"Uh, Brittany, would you mind having a seat for me?" the doctor asked politely, gesturing a bed with the things that made her legs go wide.

_I only need Santana to look at me with-_

"Hey," Santana teased.

Brittany grinned. She loved how her fiancée could read her mind.

"Focus, baby," Santana giggled, kissing her cheek.

"K," Brittany said happily, jumping onto the bed easily.

"This will be just like a lady doctor visit, Brittany. Have you been to a gynaecologist before?"

"Oh, yeah," she replied. "It's ok. I know what to expect. Just let me know when you're gonna stick something up there."

Dr. Marlowe chuckled. "Sure thing."

"Mommy, why are they sticking you?" Bella asked in alarm.

"It's just a check, Little B. They want to make sure that I'm all healthy inside to keep the baby super safe."

"Mama, did you have an inside check too?"

"Uh, no," Santana chuckled.

Bella gasped. "So you didn't know if you could keep me safe?"

"No, I did know, baby. Um…I'm not sure how to explain this without going into far too much detail."

"You were a surprise for Mama," Brittany supplied with a smile. "You decided that you wanted her to be your mama so she didn't even know that you were there!"

"Yup. You were my best surprise ever," Santana agreed, snuggling her daughter to her.

Bella giggled. "I'm the bestest surprise."

"Absolutely," Brittany agreed, and met Santana's warm brown eyes.

_I love you_, Santana mouthed.

_I love you_, Brittany replied with a wink.

"Brittany?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm about to stick something up there," Dr. Marlowe said with a smile.

"Okee dokes!"

The doctor chuckled. "I wish all my patients were as eager as you."

"Well, it feels like we've been waiting forever to start our lives together," Brittany said, reaching for Santana's hand.

"It does feel like forever," she almost whispered. "But it's starting."

"When's the wedding?" Dr. Marlowe asked.

"In a month!" Bella said excitedly.

"Yeah. June twenty-fifth, to be exact," Santana said, staring at her soon-to-be wife with nothing but love and adoration.

"I'm assuming that it won't be a problem if Brittany's pregnant by then?"

"Nope," Brittany replied with a grin. "Even if I fell pregnant tomorrow – oh, that's cold – it wouldn't make a difference cos who shows after a month, right?"

"Well, it is exceptionally rare, but if you do fall pregnant easily, there may be some things to take into consideration like the weight of your dress, your shoes, how much distance you'd have to walk, et cetera."

"We'll make sure to tell Kurt those things," Santana promised, squeezing Brittany's hand.

"Well, whether I'm pregnant or not, I'm still gonna look smoking hot."

Santana smirked. "I have no doubt, baby."

"What's my dress gonna look like?" Bella asked.

"What do you want it to look like, Little B?"

Bella frowned as she thought hard and Brittany was once again reminded of her lover at a young age. She smiled warmly.

"Mama, can I wear red?"

Santana glanced up to Brittany for approval and she nodded with a wink. She _loved_ when Santana wore red, so she could only imagine how cute their daughter would look in the same colour.

"I'm sure we can convince Kurt, baby girl," Santana whispered.

Brittany scrunched her nose as she felt the cold contraption leave her body. Santana must've seen the slight relief on her face because her eyes narrowed in concern. Brittany smiled brightly to wave it away. She doubted she'd feel uncomfortable if Santana was the one putting it up there.

"Great. Everything looks a-ok, Brittany," Dr. Marlowe announced, sliding her chair to the side so that she could address all of them. "I'll just need to take some blood from you."

"S-sure," Brittany stammered, swallowing. She had a teeny tiny thing about needles.

"It'll be ok, baby," Santana whispered, sidling a little closer and holding her hand tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."

Brittany just squeezed her eyes closed and nodded. Dr. Marlowe wrapped a pressure pad around her left arm – her right was firmly held by her fiancée.

"Brittany, when was your last period?"

"Um, about twenty-three days ago."

"Ok, you mentioned that you're regular, so you should have your next one in a couple of days, right?"

"Yeah, it'll probably be next week Tuesday or Wednesday."

"Ok, I'd like us to make another appointment for Wednesday. We'll need to do some more tests once you've started your period. If you haven't started by Wednesday, we can just cancel and you let me know when you do start."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I don't think I've been a day off since I stopped touring."

Dr. Marlowe hummed agreement. "A crazy schedule can definitely affect your cycle, but I'm glad you've settled down. Based on my initial exam, your body is primed for carrying a baby."

Brittany beamed and Santana's smile matched hers. They were going to have a baby. Part of her still couldn't believe it was finally happening. But at the same time, she couldn't believe that it had taken them so long to reach this stage.

"Great! All done. Thanks, Brittany."

The blonde blinked in surprise and looked to her left arm. A vial of thick red liquid lay next to where Dr. Marlowe was putting some cotton wool over where she'd drawn blood.

"You're done?" she asked.

Dr. Marlowe smiled. "I have my secret ways of helping patients that are a little needle phobic. You feeling ok?"

She nodded with a smile.

"Alrighty. I'll get this tested this week and I should have the results by the time our next appointment comes around."

"Do we need to be concerned about anything showing up?" Santana asked.

"I can't really say. Brittany appears to be a very healthy young woman. The blood analysis will test hormone levels, iron levels, things like that. _If_ there is a problem, then I'll obviously let you know."

Brittany's fears came rushing back and she subconsciously squeezed Santana's hand.

"Brittany, don't let this blood test overwhelm you. It's a formality. And if deficiencies in your blood have remained undetectable at this stage of your life, I really don't foresee any need for concern. A little advice? Don't worry about what could be or couldn't be. These first few appointments will already be stressful for you, so rather just enjoy the journey you're about to embark on."

"I get that, but this is just something I've – _we've_ – wanted for so long and I just know that I'll feel terrible if something's wrong."

Santana stood up with Bella on her hip and leaned down to kiss Brittany's temple. "Baby, no matter what happens, we're going to tackle it together. Good, bad, ugly, we'll take it on. Ok?"

Brittany nodded uneasily. She couldn't help be worried, despite Dr. Marlowe telling her that she didn't really have to. She wanted a baby with Santana so badly.

"Tell you what. I'm going to put a rush on this blood work and I'll let you know as soon as I have the results," Dr. Marlowe suggested with a smile. "If I send them off as soon as you guys leave, I can have the results by Thursday. Would that be ok?"

"Thursday's going to be crazy," Santana replied, setting their daughter on the bed next to Brittany. Bella immediately curled into her mommy and it made Brittany smile. "We've got our opening night on Thursday. I'm going to be swamped all day with last minute emergencies, no doubt."

"Yeah, and I'll be there next to her, telling her to calm down because it probably isn't an emergency."

Santana looked down and blushed.

Dr. Marlowe chuckled. "So should I give you guys a call on Friday?"

Brittany looked up at Santana pleadingly.

"Actually, you can call us when you have the results. We'll make time on Thursday. I know that Britt will be nervous, even though she probably has nothing to be nervous about, so Thursday would be best."

The doctor snapped her latex gloves off. "Ok, I'll do that. You can go ahead and get dressed, Brittany. I'll meet you back in my office where we can talk about donor selection."

Santana quickly met Dr. Marlowe as she walked towards the sink and they shared a few hushed words. Brittany frowned as she sat up and cradled her daughter in her lap.

Dr. Marlowe smiled and nodded before continuing to wash her hands.

"What are you up to?" Brittany whispered when her fiancée returned to her side. Santana just smiled and winked. It made Brittany blush because Santana always made her feel so special, even in the smallest of ways.

"Bella, do you want to come with me and see if I can find some pictures of you when you were still in your Mama's tummy?"

"Can I?" Bella asked excitedly, her eyes darting between her moms.

Brittany raised an eyebrow at Santana and smiled, nodding. "Sure thing, Little B. Don't forget your manners, ok?"

"Yes, Mommy." Bella jumped off the bed with a little help from Santana and bounded off with the doctor.

"What are you up to?" Brittany asked, sitting up and swivelling her legs to hang over the edge of the bed. It wasn't long before Santana was standing between them.

"I just thought that I could help you get dressed."

Brittany's eyes widened. "San, no! We're in the baby doctor's office!"

Santana chuckled and let her hands sneak under the robe to run along Brittany's bare thighs. As always, a simply touch got her heart racing.

"Baby, I'm not going to fuck you in the doctor's office. As tempting as it is with you wearing this easily accessible robe, I just wanted to make sure that you're ok. I know it's difficult for you to show your concerns when Bella's around." She leaned in for a sweet kiss. "I love you for that, among so many other things."

Brittany sighed and rested her hands on Santana's hips. "I just…" She looked up and met the eyes that she could look into forever. "What if I can't?" she almost whispered.

Santana smiled and pressed her lips to her forehead, peppering soft kisses down her cheeks. "Baby, I don't for one second think that there are going to be any problems. You and I were meant to have a family. You were born to be a mother and I know that when you're pregnant, _God_, you're going to be even more beautiful than you are now."

Brittany's heart skipped a beat. _Wow._ She didn't say anything, just pulled her fiancée to her and kissed her passionately. Santana returned it with interest. After a few minutes of incredible kisses, they became softer, gentler and just as loving.

"I love you," Brittany choked out when they broke apart for air. She blinked as she felt two tears run down her cheeks.

Santana was quick to kiss them away. "I love you so much, Brittany. Just believe that this is our time. Believe that our love, our bond will finally bring us everything we've ever wanted."

"But I already have that," Brittany murmured, glancing down shyly. "All I've ever wanted is you, San. Bella and whomever else comes along is just a bonus."

She smiled Brittany's favourite smile and pulled her close for a tight hug. "I believe in you. The day that we find out we're pregnant will be one of the happiest of my life."

Brittany smiled and just held her tighter. She didn't have to ask Santana to elaborate – there were too many happy days for them to count: their (real) reunion, their engagement, Bella being born, and so many more to come – their wedding, their honeymoon, and welcoming a new life into their family.

In Santana's arms, she felt at peace, and all her worry slowly dissipated. With Santana, she felt like everything would always be ok.

* * *

Santana helped her get dressed and it was incredibly sensual without becoming anything more. The Latina ran her fingers over Brittany's naked skin before covering it with clothes. They stole kisses and caresses and spent a while just looking at each other.

"We should get back to the office," Santana murmured.

Brittany nodded and linked her fingers with her fiancée's as they headed into the next room. She stopped just before they reached the door.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked immediately.

Brittany just smiled and shook her head. She cupped Santana's cheek and kissed her. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Santana smiled back. "Lucky for you, you'll never have to find out."

They leaned in for another quick kiss before entering Dr. Marlowe's office.

"Mama! I saw me! In your tummy!" Bella squealed, waving around an old ultrasound. "Mommy, look!"

Brittany sat down in the chair and let Bella climb onto her lap. She took the picture and her heart start pounding. Bella in Santana's tummy. "Wow," she murmured.

She felt Santana sit next to her and lean over her shoulder. "Oh, yeah. That was about six months, right?"

"Correct. A little bundle of energy inside you."

Santana giggled. "That she was." She poked Bella's side and an identical giggle erupted from the little girl.

"Can I keep this?" Brittany asked quietly.

Dr. Marlowe smiled. "Absolutely. That's a copy. I have the originals safely filed away."

"Thank you."

Santana entwined their fingers again and squeezed. Bella settled in Brittany's lap, staring at the ultrasound picture of herself. The couple focused on the doctor.

"Which process are you most interested in?" Dr. Marlowe asked.

"IUI, definitely," Santana said. "We'd prefer not to go the IVF road unless we have to."

"Ok, great. We'll need to do a hysterosalpingogram two weeks after your period to check that your fallopian tubes are open."

Brittany pulled a face. She knew about that procedures. "Alien invasion again," she muttered.

Santana snorted and Dr. Marlowe just looked confused.

"Ok, so here are the can's and can't's about donors," Dr. Marlowe continued. "While we try to match your request as much as possible, sometimes it isn't possible. I need you two to understand that you may not get exactly what you want."

The two women nodded.

"Right. So, give me some ideas."

"No ideas, really. We want this baby to be as equally ours as possible. Physically, I mean," Brittany said. "So we'd like someone Latino, with similar features. Or as close to that as we can get."

Dr. Marlowe nodded and hit a few buttons on her keyboard, eyeing the screen. "Santana, you don't have any family members that may be willing to donate?"

"Well, we've spoken about it. I'm an only child and while I have cousins in Ohio that would probably suffice, I haven't spoken to them in years, let alone seen them. I thought it would be kind of rude to call one of them up and say, 'Hey, cuz. Sorry we haven't seen each other in six years, but would you like to be the sperm donor for me and my fiancée's baby?'." She shook her head. "The only person that would be a possibility is my dad and…just…no."

Dr. Marlowe smiled. "I fully understand that. Ok, no worries. Looks like we have a few matches for you."

"Really?" Brittany asked with a smile. "That was fast."

"Everything's catalogued on a database so all we need to do is put in the specifications and boom."

"Boom!" Bella echoed.

Santana and Brittany laughed.

"Looks that's everything we can do today. Just make an appointment with Diane out front and I'll see you next week. You'll definitely get a call from me on Thursday. Enjoy your opening night, ladies!"

"Thank you so much, Dr. Marlowe," Santana said, standing up reaching over to shake the doctor's hand. "I can't tell you how much this means to us."

Dr. Marlowe waved her other hand dismissively. "No need to thank me! I just provide the little buggers. You're the ones that do all the work."

"You're enabling us," Brittany insisted. "So thank you."

The doctor smiled. "You're very welcome, ladies."

"Bye, Dr. Sam!" Bella called, getting comfortable in Brittany's arms.

"Bye, Bella!"

After making their appointment for the following Wednesday, they walked outside into the afternoon sun.

"I think this calls for some ice cream," Santana declared, linking her fingers with Brittany's.

"Yes!" Bella cheered. "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"

Brittany laughed and met Santana's eyes. It was like they were thinking the same thing.

_I'm the luckiest girl in the world._

* * *

**A/N: Ch. 51 to follow very shortly :)**

**Hope this comes across a little better… We want our Brittana babies, but we do want them legitimately ;)**

**No sexy times, but thought a Brittana moment might make up for it ;)**

**Onwards and up!**

**-H**

**Tumblr, Twitter and Ask – hlnwst**


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: Much love for the love :) Muchness of fluff for our Brittana bubble :)**

**Short, sweet. Let's get this show on the road. I think I've kept you guys waiting long enough, right? :)**

**Ch. 50 has been re-posted because I made quite a few changes. I'd suggest you guys read that before this one.**

**Onwards and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

**CHAPTER 51**

"Guys, this floor is way too slippery," Santana ordered her stage hands. "I don't need my cast sliding and breaking an ankle in the first number. Get some wax or something."

They jumped into action. Santana looked down at her to-do list, which was ridiculously long, but very meticulous. Everything had been covered down to the last detail.

"Trevor!" she called.

Her male lead jogged up to the stage. "What's up, Ms. L?"

"Have you checked with your AV buddies that the problem we were having with the spotlight yesterday has been fixed?"

He nodded and smiled. "We went through a tester at lunch and everything was perfect, Ms. L."

"Ok, thanks." She checked one more thing off her list before rushing backstage to where the costumes were stacked, ready for the cast to change into when they arrived in a few hours.

"We have the red lipstick for Hilary, right?" she asked Chloe, who was unpacking the make-up from boxes and stacking them on the different tables. "The last thing we need is for to have another allergic reaction."

"It's all sorted, Ms. L," Chloe said quietly, systematically stocking each dressing table with the make-up that each girl would need.

Santana paused. "You ok, Chlo?"

The teenager sighed. "I'm freaking out. My mom's going to be here tonight."

"Well, you said that coffee went ok yesterday, right?" Santana asked, holding her clipboard to her chest.

"It was awkward as hell," Chloe grumbled. "She didn't know what to say to me, like asking me about how my day was and what I've been doing isn't something that she can actually ask me anymore."

"Well, do you think that she should be asking those questions?"

"I don't know. And that's the frustrating part! She was rambling about frigging Bianca half the time. Like I need any more reminders of how frigging perfect my sister is."

"Hey, hey," Santana said, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "You're overthinking things right now. Just forget about your mom and have fun with your friends on that stage. Don't forget the reason you're doing this."

"Because you made me." Her voice had a teasing tone.

The Latina chuckled. "One of the best decisions I've made, I think."

"Yeah, I'd agree to that."

"San?"

Brittany. She sounded freaked. That could only mean one thing…

"Britt? I'm backstage."

Her fiancée almost collided with Santana as Brittany came running through the curtains. Her eyes were wide and she held her phone in her hand, looking at it nervously.

"It's ok, baby," Santana said soothingly, smiling at Brittany's adorable nervousness. "Let's walk for a bit. Is she on the phone?"

Brittany just nodded frantically. Santana took it from her.

"Dr. Marlowe? It's Santana."

"Good afternoon, Santana. How are you today?"

Santana took Brittany's hand and pulled her off the stage and to the corner of the auditorium, where they were out of earshot of everyone and had a little privacy. "I'm good, thanks. A little stressed out with some last minute things." Brittany looked at her pleadingly and she smiled, wrinkling her nose. "Do you have some news for us?"

"Yup. All Brittany's blood work came back clear. We'll have to do some more tests when you come in next week, as I mentioned, but I really don't think you need to be worried."

"Oh, I'm not," Santana chuckled. "My beautiful fiancée is going a little crazy, though. Thanks, Dr. Marlowe. See you next week."

She hung up the phone and was immediately bombarded with questions. "What did she say? Am I ok? Do I have a life-threatening disease? Am I going to die? Oh my God, I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Santana felt her heart swell with love at how ridiculous Brittany was being. She normally took everything in her stride, but on rare occasions, when confronted with something really important to her, she went completely paranoid. Considering that paranoia was generally Santana's department, it was too cute seeing Brittany all flustered.

"Baby, everything's fine," she murmured, tucking an errant strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Your blood is one hundred percent healthy."

"It is?" Brittany breathed out.

Santana smiled. "It is."

"Oh, thank God." She flung her arms around Santana's neck and the Latina just let her smile grow as she hugged her back.

"Everything's going to be fine, baby."

"I'm sorry. I totally freaked out," Brittany said, her voice muffled against Santana's neck.

"B, it's fine." Santana pulled away slightly so that she met Brittany's eyes. "How about we make a deal right now. At any point during this whole process, you are allowed to freak out about anything and everything and I'll be the calm one for once." She paused and smiled. "It just occurred to me that I haven't even thanked you."

Brittany smiled curiously. "For what?"

"For carrying our baby. For giving up control of your body for the next year so that we can expand our family."

"Oh, honey, you don't need to thank me for that. This is something that I'm so excited about doing. With you."

Santana bit her lip, but it didn't stop the grin from spreading across her face. "I really wanna kiss you right now."

Brittany wiggled her eyebrows. "After celebrating the resounding success of the musical tonight, you and I will have our own celebration."

"Are we talking about the kind of celebration that involves very little clothing?"

"No, we're talking about the kind of celebration that involves no clothing at all."

"My favourite kind."

Brittany leaned down for a quick peck. "Love you, baby, but I'm going to fetch our daughter from her play date before I'm too tempted to drag you into some long forgotten room backstage and have my way with you."

"_So_ tempting," Santana murmured, holding onto Brittany's hand as she walked away, reluctant to let go. Bella's friend, Caitlin, had invited her to a play date after school and both Brittany and Santana had encouraged it knowing that their day would be crazy and Bella would want to be with them instead of Rachel or Kurt. She'd seemed pretty excited.

"See you soon, baby," Brittany said with a wink, letting their arms stretch out, their fingers connected until they were too far apart.

Santana sighed. She knew that her dependency on Brittany was probably unhealthy. They lived together _and_ worked together. There were very few hours in the day that they didn't spend together. But she wouldn't have it any other way. She couldn't live without Brittany and she sure as hell didn't plan to.

"Ms. L! Problem with one of the speakers!"

Santana rolled her eyes and headed onto stage to solve yet another last-minute problem.

* * *

"Mommy, you look so pretty!" Bella said with a big smile.

"Aw, thanks, Little B," Brittany said with a smile as she applied some lip gloss. She smacked her lips together and surveyed her reflection in the mirror. Yeah, she looked good. Turning to her daughter, she let out an exaggerated gasp. "What happened to my little Bella?"

Bella giggled and twirled. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a dark blue dress with little black pumps that had the tiniest heel. It still astounded Brittany how super alike Bella was to Santana.

"Baby, you almost ready?" Santana called in a panicked voice.

Brittany rolled her eyes and knelt down next to Bella. "Mama's super stressed about the musical so we're just going to be super supportive, even if she goes a little crazy."

"I heard that," Santana said, flashing her a smirk as she exited the bedroom.

Brittany ran her eyes up and down her fiancée's body and she bit her lip. She couldn't wait for their celebration.

"You look beautiful, San," she said, taking Bella's hand and standing up.

Santana rolled her eyes. "B, you've seen me in this dress before."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean that you don't look beautiful every time you wear it." She was wearing the same green dress that she'd worn on their first excursion to New York back in junior year. Brittany was a little jealous that she could still fit into it, but Santana had always been small and her body had _always _been smoking.

The Latina flushed and held out a hand. "How about the three prettiest girls in New York make their way to the event of the year?"

"Well, until the next biggest," Brittany added with a wink.

"Definitely." Santana leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Mama!" Bella whined.

Her moms chuckled. "Baby girl, you know we love you, but you're gonna have to get used to seeing a lot more of that," Santana teased.

Bella pulled a face so reminiscent of Santana's disdainful look in high school that Brittany burst out laughing. Santana rolled her eyes and pulled them towards the door.

"We're going to be late if you don't hurry!" she urged.

"Baby, calm down. The show starts in two hours. It's a miracle that we even got you to come home with us to change."

"There's still so much to do, though!" Santana fretted, opening the door. Bella broke away from their hands and ran to the elevator.

"Hey." Brittany gripped her wrists, forcing Santana to look at her. "Now it's my turn. You can freak out all you want and I'll stay calm. But you don't need to freak out because you've directed an amazing show and everything is going to be perfect."

"I could tell you the same thing, you know," the brunette teased, pulling the door closed behind them and locking it.

"Yeah, well, when you're calm, I automatically feel better. Like today…"

"Elevator!" Bella called.

They walked quickly to catch the opening doors – their daughter was forbidden to – and Bella started humming the opening song from the musical on the way down. As they headed through the lobby, Bella sighed heavily, causing her moms to look down at her in alarm.

"You ok, baby girl?"

"Yeah. It's gonna be weird not being on stage with everyone."

"Aww, Little B, I do know that everyone is gonna miss having you to follow up there," Brittany said seriously. "I'm sure your Mama will be happy to discuss some dance classes for you."

"I don't need dance classes, Mommy. You're the bestest teacher ever."

Brittany smiled. "Thank you, sweetie. If you want to be on stage, though, it's best to go to classes cos they have shows."

"That sounds awesome," Santana agreed, waving for a cab. "I think we should definitely look into that next week. What do you say, baby girl?"

"Yes!" Bella said excitedly, jumping up and down.

They climbed into a cab that had pulled up to the curb and spent the drive to Griffin Hill talking animatedly about the types of dances Bella would learn.

* * *

"Bella!"

Immediately after they'd exited the cab, Rachel's voice echoed down the steps leading up to the school. Santana rolled her eyes, but Bella didn't waste any time running to meet her favourite surrogate aunts and uncles.

"Baby, she looks absolutely gorgeous," Brittany whispered to Santana, slipping an arm around her waist. "Good job."

Santana smiled bashfully, knowing that Brittany wasn't only referring to their daughter's dress. It still astounded her that Bella had turned into the most selfless, honest and caring daughter ever. She often couldn't believe that Bella was really hers because she hadn't been like that.

Well, according to Britt, she had. She just hadn't realised it.

"Santana! Brittany!"

The couple looked over to where DC was walking towards them with a smile.

"Hey, DC," they greeted simultaneously.

"Don't you two look absolutely amazing. I just wanted to come over and wish you both the very best for tonight. Although, from what I've heard, I don't think I need to worry. It sounds like Santana has created a well-oiled machine of a show."

The Latina flushed. "It's not difficult to make a good show with people who are passionate."

"And you found them! I'd like you two to pop into my office tomorrow morning. I'm really interested in any other ideas that you two might have regarding the performing arts at this school."

Santana's face broke into a delighted smile. "Really, DC?"

He nodded. "See you tomorrow, ladies."

"Thank you!" Brittany called after them. She squeezed Santana's waist tighter. "You hear that, babe?"

"Uh huh." Santana was in a little daze. Everything that she'd worked for was becoming a reality. She felt like she was living on cloud nine.

"This has been the best year of my life."

The Latina blinked back to the present and met her favourite blue eyes with a smile. "Mine too, B," she said, nuzzling her cheek.

"Hey, lovebirds, get your tooshies up here!"

They laughed. "Sometimes I really want to call him Puck because he's just still so…_Puck_," Santana muttered.

Brittany and Santana made their way up the stairs, saying hi to several students who greeted them.

"Mama, Mommy! Max is here!" Bella announced with a big smile as they reached their friends.

"Hey, little Maxie," Santana cooed, pinching his cheek from where he say on his dad's hip. He squealed and swivelled to hide his face. "Well, that brings back memories," she chuckled.

"What memories?" Bella asked.

"You used to do that whenever you got shy," Santana explained to her daughter. "Not that you got shy very often."

"Honey Bee!"

"Oh, dear God, no," Brittany muttered.

Santana laughed. "Babe, I'm sure they'll be fine."

Brittany just grumbled under her breath, so Santana linked their fingers together for comfort. As awesome as Britt's family were, they did tend to get somewhat…embarrassing. At dinner the previous night, they'd been politely asked three times to keep their noise levels down because other patrons were complaining. They were at a Burger King. That was the Pierces.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Brittany greeted her parents. She gave them each a hug, refusing to let go of Santana's hand. "Where's Hails?"

"I believe there was a handsome teacher that caught her attention," Natalie said, waving her hand dismissively.

"But we don't have any good-looking teachers," Santana commented. "You know, besides us."

"Different strokes for different folks," James said in his booming voice and Santana could feel Brittany cringe next to her.

"James, might I have some words with you over hither?" she asked. She had a certain…_way_ with him.

"Sure."

Santana kissed the back of Brittany's hand before dropping it and guiding James away from everyone else.

"What's up, Brown Sugar?"

"James, we both love that you're here, really. But this is Brittany's place of work, a place where she's respected and well-liked. Could I please ask that you tone down your awesomeness and let your daughter have her deserved spotlight?"

"Sure," James replied simply with his boyish grin. "Not a peep."

Santana arched an eyebrow.

"Ok, two peeps. I'll be on my best behaviour."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Pop."

James winked at her and they headed back to their group of friends. Santana glanced at her watch. "Um, I'm gonna head backstage and just do a double check that everything's ok."

"Baby, you already did a quadruple check before you left. You're spending the night with your fiancée, daughter and friends."

Santana pouted, but Brittany just pecked it away.

"No arguments, San."

Noah made a whipped sound, which James echoed.

"That's one, James," Santana teased. He looked forlorn.

"Rachel!"

Everyone looked up and saw Chloe jogging down the stairs.

"Hi, Chloe. Oh, I love your make-up," Rachel said approvingly.

"Ugh, it's about twenty times more than what I usually wear. But I know it's necessary. Um, I just wanted to say thanks for coming. And for, you know, letting me stay with you."

"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to thank me for that," Rachel replied, pulling her in for a hug.

"And Ms. L, Ms. P. You guys have been so amazing through everything. Especially you, Ms. L. I'm gonna dedicate my first published book to you."

Santana felt herself tear up. She knew that Chloe would be able to do anything that she put her mind to. Chloe stepped into a hug from her English teacher and Santana felt Bella holding her leg. She broke the hug and leaned down, looking at Bella earnestly. Her daughter had a sad look on her face.

"Talk to me, baby girl," she said quietly.

"Mama, I'm s-sorry about what I said ab-bout Chloe," Bella hiccupped.

"Oh, Bella, I told that everything was ok. We moved past that months ago, didn't we?"

"Y-yes, but I was m-mean."

Santana scooped Bella into her arms and held her close. "Isabella, I love you so much and nothing or no one will change that. You said sorry for what you did and said and I accepted your apology. I forgave you a long time, baby girl. You need to forgive yourself."

"H-how do I do that?"

Santana glanced at Brittany, who immediately came to stand next to her, placing a hand on Bella's back.

"Little B, remember what I told you that day?"

Bella nodded. "I'm Mama's number one and she wants to help her students."

"Exactly. She's helped Chloe a lot these last few months. Mama couldn't love anyone the way she loves you. And because she loves you that way, she's not angry. Yes, you hurt her, but as soon as you said sorry, she forgave you because she loves you too much not to. Now what you need to do is accept that Mama has forgiven you and that it's in the past. You've both learned from what happened. You think you can work on being ok with what happened?"

"But…Mama, I was mean. That's not good. Why must I forget that?"

"We're not saying forget it like pretend it didn't happen, baby girl. We're saying that yes, it did happen, but it's ok. Sometimes we need to hurt to grow."

Santana met her fiancée's eyes as she said that and Brittany just smiled her favourite smile back at her.

"I'm pretty sure that we're going to have arguments and say mean things to each other as we grow up, but we'll always love each other and we just have to work through the hard times."

Bella nodded and wrapped her arms around Santana's neck, holding tightly to her.

"You wanna sit on my lap tonight, Bella?"

She nodded into her mama's neck and Santana smiled, placing a kiss on her head of dark hair. She glanced up at her friends and gave them an apologetic smile, but they just gave warm understanding smiles back.

"Chloe, break a leg. I know you're going to make me so proud," Santana said to the teenager, who was looking a little uncomfortable. "Hey, don't worry about it, ok? It happened a long-"

"She's here," Chloe said flatly, her eyes looking past them.

Santana and Brittany both turned around and saw a woman a few steps below them looking at Chloe nervously.

_They look alike_, Santana mused.

"Baby, can you go to Mommy for a second?" Santana asked her daughter.

Bella just held on tighter. Brittany smiled and rested her hand on Santana's lower back. "It's ok, San. You keep her. She needs you now," she whispered.

"Chloe, you should go and say hello," Rachel suggested.

Santana was surprised by her friend's encouragement. Then again, she hadn't really ever reconnected with Shelby, so she knew what kind of regret that felt like.

"Rachel, I don't-"

"Chlo, you should listen to her," Brittany cut in gently.

The teenager sighed and descended the few stairs to where her mother was waiting. A few words were exchanged that they couldn't hear. Eventually, Chloe turned around and stopped in front of Santana and Brittany.

"Ms. L, Ms. P, this is Julie Stemmet, my mom," she said in a decidedly flat voice.

Santana frowned at her, but put on a smile, extending her hand to Chloe's mom. "Hi, Santana Lopez. Pleasure to meet you."

"Brittany Pierce," the blonde greeted, shaking her hand. "It's really great that you could make it tonight. Chloe's amazing."

Mrs. Stemmet just nodded meekly. "Pleasure to meet you both. I, um, I would like to thank you for being there when I wasn't. It's…I've had a lot to think about and it was a great comfort knowing that Chloe has teachers like you looking out for her."

"Mrs. Stemmet-"

"Julie, please."

"Julie," Santana amended. "I'm glad that you're here for Chloe, really. I know that even though she's putting the surly teenager role that she's perfected over the last few months to good use right now, I know that it means a lot to her that you're here too."

Julie nodded and Chloe took a deep breath before walking past Santana and Brittany to where Rachel and Finn were standing.

"Babe, let's go," Santana whispered to Brittany.

"Yup," Brittany agreed, walking around them. "Quinn, how about we show you to your seats?"

"But it's getting juicy!" Noah protested, earning him a slap on the head from both Quinn and Santana.

Brittany intertwined her fingers with Santana's as they headed to the auditorium. They were stopped by a parent, Santana assumed.

"Hi, you don't know me, but my daughter has English with you, Ms. Lopez, and I'd just like to say that you have been an absolute godsend this year. She's developed a love for the subject and for school in general, and she's been talking about this musical for weeks."

"Oh, thank you so much," Santana said with a big smile. "This is my fiancée, Brittany Pierce. She teaches dance here."

"Pleasure," Brittany greeted with her standard charming smile.

"Oh, yes, Jessica can't stop talking about you, Ms. Pierce. You toured with Beyoncé, right?"

"Uh, no, I'm not that lucky," Brittany chuckled.

"She danced with Rihanna and Madonna and Justin Timberlake and she was on _Dancing With The Stars_," Bella rattled off proudly.

Santana and Brittany chuckled.

"This would be her number one fan, after me, of course. This is our daughter, Bella."

"How do you do?" the woman greeted politely, with a smile.

"How do you do what?" Bella asked.

The woman laughed. "Precious. Well, I hope that you two have a long legacy here because this school can only grow with you spearheading the arts program."

"Well, that's definitely something that we're interested in, Mrs…?"

"Oh, forgive me. My name is Mary Tipton. Jessica Tipton is in your class, Ms. Lopez."

"Oh, yes. I remember her now. Quite tall, blonde? She plays tennis, right? Pretty good from what I here."

"Thank you. Well, I'm sure you have many more people to say hello to so I won't keep you any longer. I just wanted to thank you for the effect that you've had on my daughter's education and, I'm sure, many other students here."

"Uh, um, thank you," Santana stammered. Her head was spinning. It was too much for her. She wasn't used to this kind of praise and attention. Being a teacher in a class of kids was very different to having parents constantly praise her.

"Enjoy the show, Mrs. Tipton. We hope to see Jessica in next year's musical, maybe?" Brittany asked.

"I have no doubt," Mrs. Tipton replied. "Good evening, ladies."

"Am I dreaming or something?" Santana murmured as they continued towards the auditorium.

"Nope. This is very real and all because of you," Brittany replied, kissing her cheek.

"Baby, the musical was your idea. And you're the dance teacher. You started all of this. And don't think that I won't let people forget that just because I wrote and directed this thing."

Brittany wrinkled her nose as they entered the auditorium. She glanced down at their daughter, who had rested her head on her mama's shoulder again. "You doing ok there, Little B?"

She nodded.

"I think we should go and see the ensemble. Maybe there's time for a little jam session before they have to get ready for the first curtain," Brittany suggested. "What do you think?"

Bella lifted her head to look at her mama. "Can we, Mama?"

"Ummmm," Santana mused, pretending to think.

"Pleeeeease?" Bella begged, sounding more like her old self.

"Yeah, ok. But if Mommy says it's time to go, then you listen, ok?"

"Yes, Mama." Bella kissed her cheek and Santana lowered her to the ground.

"Thanks, baby," Brittany whispered, with a wink. "See you in a bit?"

Santana nodded and kissed the back of Brittany's hand, her lips grazing her engagement ring. The smile she got as a result sent butterflies rioting in her stomach. She'd never get tired of that feeling.

She sighed as her fiancée and their daughter bounded down the stairs of the auditorium, a scene that she'd gotten so used to after seeing it daily for weeks. She was going to miss it.

"Wow, I gotta agree with Noah, Santana," Quinn commented. "You are so ridiculously whipped."

Santana grinned. "I know."

* * *

"Mama!"

Santana looked up immediately at the sound of her daughter's voice. Bella was climbing the stairs towards the row where they were all sitting.

"What is it, Bella? Where's Mommy?"

"She's waiting for you backstage. She said that they need you."

Santana rolled her eyes and took Bella's hand. "So much for tonight being about my fiancée and my daughter. Ok, baby girl, let's go and sort out this disaster. It's ten minutes before curtain up so I hope it's nothing too bad."

"We'll keep your seats open," Blaine promised.

"Thanks, guys. If I don't make it back in time, enjoy the show!"

Bella pulled her hand and Santana took the hint. She followed her daughter towards the stage and walked around to one of the back doors.

"Did Mommy say what could be wrong?" Santana asked, wracking her brain as she mentally went over her checklist. She was sure she'd checked everything at least twice. Ugh. She should've just gone backstage when she arrived instead of mingling.

"I dunno, Mama. She just said to find you super quick."

"Ok, ok." They entered the backstage area and she saw a big crowd of people. "Alright, I'm here. What's the emergency?"

"No emergency," Brittany said, appearing next to her. "The cast just felt that before the inaugural musical of Griffin Hill Academy began, they wanted to thank the person who got them to this moment."

"B, I told you not to do this," Santana warned, giving her fiancée a pointed look.

"It wasn't her, Ms. L. We wanted to," Hilary said, stepping forward.

Everyone was in full costume and they looked pretty spectacular.

"You guys look absolutely amazing," Santana gushed with a smile on her face.

"Thanks to you. We know that Ms. P totally started this whole thing and that she was really involved in a lot of the musical, and we love her for what she's done, but without you, we wouldn't be here," Hilary continued. "This is just a very small thank you from the cast and crew for your tireless hard work and passion in bringing an idea from your head to the stage."

Santana smiled a watery smile and sniffed. Hilary walked forward with a huge bouquet of dark pink roses.

"Oh, wow," she murmured. "Guys, thank you. This means so much. God, I can't believe you're gonna make me cry!" A few chuckles went around. "This show is so much more to me than just a musical. This represents the start of a new family. Not just for me, but for you guys as well." She reached her hand out to Brittany, who took it immediately, Bella latched onto her leg. "I have the utmost respect for every single one of you. Not only are you all amazing performers, but you're a truly great bunch of kids and I feel honoured that I got to know each of you." She pulled out one rose and handed it to her love. "For you, my love, for coming up with this amazing idea and bringing all of us together."

Her eyes said so much more and Brittany met her smile, completely understanding. She pulled out another rose and held it out to Bella. "And this one goes to the most amazing supporter of the arts that Griffin Hill has ever seen."

The cast cheered and Bella accepted the rose with an adorable little curtsy.

"Alright, people! Let's break some legs!" Brittany cheered.

* * *

**A/N: I know this probably feels like a filler chapter, and maybe it is – I don't think it is. I hate the idea of a filler chapter. They don't serve a purpose and I'd like to think that what I write is purposeful. It all ties up. I don't write something for no reason, just for the sake of putting words on a page.**

**Some fics to read, if you'd like some recommendations: **_**Never Knew I Needed**_** – justsomebrittanagleek (you must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of this one :p), **_**As I Am**_** – emisummers, Not Attracted To You – BrittanaxLove**

**Twitter, Tumblr, Ask – hlnwst**


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N: You guys love your Brittana weddings, huh? :) I find myself totally ok with that :D**

**Still quite a bit to go in this story – I'll let you know as the end approaches because at this stage, even though I know what's going to happen, I don't know how many chapters it will take to write :)**

**Can't believe how popular Bella is…I love writing her, though. She's so much fun :)**

**Heads up! Lady lovin' :)**

**Thanks so much for your support, as always.**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

* * *

**CHAPTER 52**

Santana's head was spinning, literally and figuratively, from turning around to receive congratulations after congratulations. It was no surprise that the musical had been a complete blockbuster hit. The cast had been called back three times for an encore and had ended up performing their final number one more time.

Brittany was at her side, holding a sleepy Bella as they accepted the crazy amounts of praise. It went on for what felt like hours, but they eventually managed to sneak out of the auditorium around eleven. Their friends and family had gushed and Rachel had demanded a signed copy of the script.

"Was that whole thing real?" Santana mused as they sat in the back of a cab, smelling her roses again.

Brittany giggled and snuggled close. "Very real, baby. Straight from your brilliant mind to the stage. I'm so proud of you."

Santana looked at her shyly and bit her lip. "Thank you," she whispered.

Her fiancée just gigged again and pressed a loving kiss against her cheek. "Can't wait to get you home for our celebration."

Santana flushed beet red, and she was grateful for the cover of darkness. It was _ridiculous_ how Brittany reduced her to absolute mush with a few choice words. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life blushing at her beautiful fiancée's words. The cab pulled up outside their building and Santana paid while Brittany secured their sleeping daughter.

"She looks just like you do when you sleep," Brittany murmured when they were in the elevator.

The older Latina chuckled. "You're such a creeper, Britt. You watch me sleep?"

Brittany grinned. "Totally. You're so beautiful when you sleep and you don't get shy like you do when I look at you too long."

Santana kissed Brittany's cheek, nuzzling her skin. "You are so adorable, you know that."

"I do."

"Confident of ourselves, aren't we?"

"Well, I haven't heard any complaints from you," Brittany teased, stepping out onto their floor.

"I'll never complain about your confidence, B," Santana reciprocated, opening the door. She headed to the kitchen to put her beautiful roses in a vase.

Brittany just hummed in agreement. "Baby, could you put her to bed? I need to get some stuff ready."

"What stuff?" Santana asked curiously, taking Bella.

The blonde just wiggled her eyebrows and headed into the bathroom. Santana brushed it off. She loved Brittany's romantic surprises so she knew that she had no reason to worry. She dressed Bella in her onesie and tucked her daughter under the covers. She sat on the bed and started humming, her fingers tracing the outline of Bella's face.

"_Te quiero, mi carina_," she whispered, leaning down and kissing her forehead lightly. "I'm so thankful for you."

She watched her daughter slumbering peacefully for a little longer before standing up and heading towards her bedroom. She had just pulled her shoes off as she entered and she gasped at the sight she was met with.

"Baby," she whispered in awe.

Candles were lit everywhere and Brittany was standing next to their dresser in some seriously sexy lingerie.

"Wow," Santana choked out.

Brittany chuckled and held out a hand. "Come here, San. Tonight is about me making you feel good."

"But you always make me feel good," Santana protested quietly, dropping her shoes and stepping into Brittany's arms. "Just being with you makes me so happy."

"I know, and I feel the same. But I want to show you how much I love you."

Santana smiled up at her and they simultaneously leaned in for a passionate kiss. Brittany gently undressed her, so carefully that Santana almost didn't even feel her clothes being discarded. Then again, Brittany's kisses were completely distracting. She found herself on her back against their soft sheets in her underwear with Brittany on top of her, their bodies locking together perfectly, lips never parting.

Her hands ran across Brittany's back, feeling the flex of every muscle as they started to move against each other. It felt heavenly. It always did with Britt, when their skin was touching as much as possible.

Santana loved that there were times where they didn't need to speak as they were making love. They just _knew_. They communicated with their bodies, with their eyes, and Brittany's blue ones were telling her to get naked. Santana leaned up to kiss her again and slid out of her underwear while Brittany got rid of her bra. Once her underwear was laying somewhere on the floor, she hooked her thumbs into Brittany's _very_ sexy pink lacy thong and slipped her life index finger further down, just brushing her fiancée's clit.

"Oh, fuck," Brittany whispered against her lips, her hips pressing down against Santana's finger.

Santana just smiled and nuzzled Brittany's warm cheek with her nose, leaving soft kisses against the clammy skin. She built Brittany up very slowly, savouring every pleasurable jerk, every crash of their lips when the blonde started moaning too loudly. Brittany buried her face in Santana's neck as she came, her body convulsing as her orgasm exploded throughout her body. The Latina just brought her down slowly, her lips never wandering from her skin for more than a second.

"Hmmm," Brittany moaned, breathing heavily as she lay on top of Santana.

Santana giggled and ran all ten fingers across Brittany's back as she got her body ready for round two.

"I thought I was supposed to make you feel good," the blonde eventually mumbled, lifting her head to look down at her fiancée lovingly.

Santana lifted a shoulder and smirked. "Baby, _you_ make me feel good, regardless of who orgasms. You know how much I love making you come."

"I do know how much _I_ love you making me come," Brittany chuckled, leaning in for a few sensual kisses. "So you like my present?"

"Hmmm," Santana hummed, hooking her thumbs in the thong again. "When did you have time to buy this, you sneaky ninja?"

"I have my ways," she replied mysteriously, laughing at the Latina's pout. She nibbled on her protruding bottom lip. "I like getting dressed up for you," she whispered.

Santana's heart started hammering at the confession, a myriad of memories flying through her mind. The most prominent picture that remained wasn't even a memory, but she couldn't wait for it to become one.

"I can't wait to see you in a wedding dress," she murmured against Brittany's lips.

Brittany giggled, her entire body shaking wonderfully against Santana's. "I can't wait for you to fuck me in my wedding dress."

Santana hummed again. "We should get lots of practice in. You know, to make sure we have it down to an art."

Blue eyes met hers playfully. "Practise having sex?"

"Totally," Santana deadpanned, but her eyes were shining. "I mean, we have to take into account where we'll be, how much space we'll have, how much _time_ we'll have and how much I'll have to muffle your moans."

"My moans? What about yours?"

"I feel that I am well practised in keeping quiet when I need to," Santana retorted with a smile. "I wasn't the one my mom always heard."

Brittany buried her face in Santana's neck and the Latina gasped at the feeling of her tongue tracing her caramel skin.

"I feel we're going to have to test my theory," Brittany whispered.

"Hence, practice."

The blonde wasted no time, slipping her thigh against Santana's core and thrusting hard. It elicited a deliciously loud moan from her fiancée and she smirked. She did it again with the same result.

"What was that about being well practised?"

"Shut up," Santana muttered, grabbing the back of Brittany's neck and pulling her down for a fierce kiss.

Within minutes of Brittany's vigorous thrusting, Santana was a quivering mess beneath her. The blonde had let Santana practically tear her lingerie off and she guided the Latina's strong legs further apart and quickly positioned herself to meet Santana's heated core with her own. She could feel the throbbing between them and she wasn't even sure who was more ready for an orgasm. Regardless, she coaxed her fiancée into a rhythm quickly and they were soon breathing heavily into each other's mouths when they weren't kissing passionately.

Santana's nails dug into Brittany's back and she arched in pleasure, her thrust causing her fiancée to whimper, gasp and moan her name as her entire body shook in pleasure. Brittany followed suit almost immediately. They twitched and shuddered against each other for a few minutes, their lips grazing necks, shoulders, cheeks.

"More practice?" Brittany husked, kissing down Santana's body, disappearing under the covers that had been kicked to the foot of the bed.

"Oh my God," Santana groaned, her back listing off the bed at the feeling of Brittany's mouth on her. Brittany's tongue expertly worked her pussy into a frenzy and she came hard without even preparing properly for it.

"Mama?"

Santana's eyes flew open and she sat up, grabbing the sheets to cover herself. She heard a yelp from the foot of the bed as Brittany fell off.

"Um, Bella. W-What's wrong, baby girl?" Santana asked, trying to control her breathing. The fact that she was still getting little jerks of pleasure from her orgasm wasn't helping.

"I had a bad dream," Bella said in small voice. She clutched her Disney pillow tighter.

Santana glanced around for her fiancée and heard some rummaging by their closet on the other side of the bed. She held her arms out to her daughter. "Come on, baby."

Bella gratefully clambered onto the bed. She looked around in confusion. "Where's Mommy?"

"Present!" Brittany said brightly, suddenly appearing next to the bed.

Santana's brows lifted in surprise. She was dressed, albeit haphazardly, in sleep shorts and a tank. That explained the closet rummaging.

"Where'd you go? I saw you fall off the bed," Bella asked.

"I, um, was looking for Mama's pj's," Brittany said, triumphantly holding up a matching pair of sleep shorts and tank top for Santana.

_Thank you_, Santana mouthed, smiling gratefully.

Brittany winked and climbed onto the bed.

"Mama, you're all sweaty. Are you sick?" Bella asked in concern, her small hands feeling Santana's flushed cheeks.

"Um, no, I'm f-fine, Bella. I just, uh, had a dream. Yeah, and I was…running a lot in the dream, so I guess I got all sweaty from that."

"Did your lights go out?" the little girl asked, looking around at the candles.

"No, but we're being good and conserving energy," Santana replied, inwardly cringing at lying to her daughter.

"Ok," Bella said, seemingly buying the story. "They look pretty."

"They do," Santana agreed, smiling up at her fiancée.

Brittany smiled and handed Santana her clothes and distracted their daughter while she hurriedly got dressed, trying desperately to disregard how between her legs and thighs were coated with her juices. And probably Brittany's too.

"So, Little B. Who do we need to go and scare off? Who dared enter your dreams without our permission?"

"Mommy, it was evil Coach Sue!"

"Oh, no," Brittany said dramatically. "That's really bad. Is it because she had the beautiful princess trapped in the Teletubbies' castle and the other beautiful princess hadn't had a chance to rescue her yet?"

Santana just smiled and settled back into her pillows, watching her fiancée interact with their daughter. It was a sight she would never get tired of. A sudden memory-that-hadn't-happened-yet flashed before her eyes as she saw Bella plus another eager little person vying for their mommy's attention, the blonde effortlessly managing to keep both children happy.

_God, I love that woman so much it hurts. And she's is going to be an even better mother to our next child than she is to Bella._

But the best part was that Santana knew that Bella wouldn't be short-changed. Brittany had so much love to give and it seemed that the source was endless.

"Can I sleep here, Mama?" Bella asked softly.

"Of course, baby girl," Santana replied immediately. It felt like forever since Bella had slept in the same bed as her and, if she was being honest, she did miss it sometimes. She smiled as Bella burrowed under the covers.

"It smells funny under here," she said, her voice muffled.

Santana's mortification returned ten-fold and she quickly picked Bella up and snuggled her close. "Careful, _mija_, you don't want the sock monster to get you!"

"What?" Bella asked in a scared voice.

"Don't worry, Little B," Brittany said with a straight face. "The sock monster only takes smelly socks." She leaned closer. "That's why your mama is always looking for socks."

They erupted into giggles and Santana just shook her head.

"Come on, let's snuggle," she said, wiggling closer to her fiancée, meeting her eyes and wrinkling her nose in affection.

"Snuggling is the best part of my day," Brittany said quietly, putting her arm over Bella, who was cushioned between them and rested her hand on Santana's hip. Her fingers slipped underneath the tank top and grazed the soft skin.

"You good, baby girl?" Santana asked their daughter, her eyes never leaving Brittany's.

"Uh huh."

Santana broke the eye contact to lean down and kiss Bella's dark hair. "Sweet dreams, baby girl. Mommy and I will protect you from evil Coach Sue."

"And the sock monster?" Bella asked.

"Your mama's got super ninja skills to defeat the dreaded sock monster," Brittany said in a proud voice. "She can do anything."

Santana flushed and smiled bashfully.

"She totally can," Bella agreed, turning around to hug Santana. "Night, mama."

"Goodnight, Bella. Love you."

"Love you." She swivelled and snuggled into Brittany, making both older women grin. "Night, Mommy. Love you too."

"Goodnight, Little B. I love you." She also leaned down to press a kiss to their daughter's head.

Santana shuffled closer so that she could lift herself up and meet Brittany's lips for a sweet kiss. "_Para siempre_," she whispered. "I'll miss you holding me tonight."

"This is good practice," Brittany whispered back with a wide smile.

"B, I don't even think we need practice. We're perfect."

"Together."

"Always together," Santana agreed.

* * *

Santana checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror with a frown. "B, could you double check for me?"

Brittany was giggling when she entered the bathroom. "San, I told you that you've caked enough concealer that not even a superscope could see anything."

"What's a superscope?"

"A super microscope."

"Ah, but of course."

She went back to checking her eye, pressing on a sensitive spot. She winced.

"Don't be silly, babe," Brittany said, turning Santana to face her instead of the mirror. She inspected the skin around the Latina's eye carefully. "There's no mark. I doubt it'll even bruise that much. There's a teeny bit of swelling, but you can hardly see it."

Before Santana could protest, she leaned in and placed two feather light kisses against the concealed bruise.

"All better," Brittany said with a wink.

"Totally," Santana breathed.

"Mama?"

Brittany stepped back and the looked down to see Bella looking very apologetic.

"Hey, baby girl," Santana said soothingly, kneeling down in front of her. "Please don't worry about it. You can't even see anything! Look!"

"B-B-But I h-hit you," Bella hiccupped, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, _mi amor_, it was an accident. I know you didn't mean it! You were asleep. You were probably just fighting off evil Coach Sue. Bella, I promise that I'm ok and that I'm not mad." She held up a pinkie.

Bella looked from Santana's face to her pinkie and back again. Her mama smiled encouragingly and she eventually wrapped her tiny finger around Santana's.

"I pinkie promise that I'm perfectly fine and that you hardly even hit me."

"O-Ok," Bella said.

"Come here, my beautiful baby girl," Santana said lovingly, pulling Bella into a tight hug. "I love you and you'd have to do a lot more than hit me in your sleep to make me mad at you. A _lot_ more." She pulled her away quickly. "But that doesn't mean you have to start testing those limits."

Bella giggled and Santana smiled back. She kissed her daughter's cheek.

"We ready to go?" Brittany asked. She held a hand out to help Santana up.

"Yup," she replied, kissing her fiancée's cheek.

They headed out, Bella and Brittany doing their usual morning commute jam session with whatever songs they had rolling around in their heads. Santana had been playing some Tina Turner earlier that week and Bella had loved it. She was on a total Tina kick.

"_You're simply the best_!" Bella and Brittany sang loudly as they walked down the street, totally rocking out in their own world. "_Better than all the rest_!"

Santana was walking on the other side of Bella, leading them to the youngest Lopez's school. She loved just experiencing the two most important people in her life in their element. None of them cared about the funny looks that they got – who does an impromptu jam session (every morning) on the way to school?

"Come on, San!" Brittany grinned. "I know you can hit those notes."

"Go, Mama!" Bella encouraged.

Santana rolled her eyes and joined in on the chorus, taking both of Bella's hands and dancing with her as they rounded the corner to her school. Brittany laughed and clapped.

"Brittany? Brittany Pierce?"

Their performance halted and Brittany's eyes widened as she saw the person who had called her name.

"Holy shit," she breathed.

* * *

"Baby, that was fucking insane!" Santana burst out as soon as they were out of hearing range of the kids at Bella's school.

Brittany giggled and rolled her eyes. "It was nothing, San."

"Oh, yeah. It was nothing that I just met Justin frigging Timberlake. Because he _remembers_ you. And he offered you a dancing job next to him 'anytime you want one'." She did a poor imitation of the international superstar.

Brittany flushed and looked down. She hated her association to famous people. She wasn't a fan of fame at all. She'd been happy to blend in the background during press days on tour, even if she was one of the frontrunners.

"Ah, B, come on! That was pretty cool," Santana said, threading their arms and pulling her close. She kissed her cheek noisily. "I know you're over being a super famous dancer, but I totally think it's sexy."

Brittany snorted a laugh. "San, you think _I'm_ sexy. And you've always loved my dancing. This is hardly a surprise."

Santana stepped in front of her and grabbed the lapels of her jacket. "Well, yeah. Duh. Have you seen you? I'd totally do you." She grinned and leaned in for a kiss that soon escalated into a mini make out session while they were still walking.

"Baby, I'm gonna walk us into something," Brittany said once she'd managed to disengage her mouth from Santana's. Her arms were still around her fiancée's waist.

"But I love you!" Santana whined, peppering kisses down Brittany's neck.

Brittany squealed as she hit a ticklish spot. "Come on, you horndog. We've got a meeting with DC, remember?"

"Yup!" Santana released her and moved to walk next to Brittany, but not before linking their fingers and giving her a sweet kiss on her cheek. "You'll always be a famous dancing star in my mind, baby."

Brittany smiled and shook her head. "You know I don't mind what you call me, San. Just so-"

"Just so long as I call you mine," Santana finished for her, smiling shyly. "I know."

The blonde stopped walking and expertly held her fiancée as she dipped her low for a loving kiss. It was, unfortunately, ruined by a jackass hooting and whistling at them.

"Ugh, fuck off, asshole!" Santana yelled back once she'd broken the kiss. She turned back to Brittany and smiled. "I love you."

"Love you. Come on. Enough delays for one morning."

Santana snuggled into her as they made their way to the best place for them to catch a cab.

* * *

"Santana, Brittany, sit down," DC said with a smile when they walked in his office. The obliged with returning smiles. "First of all, can I say a very hearty congratulations on the huge success of _Glee_. I don't think anyone expected it to be that big. I've had numerous calls and emails from people who are highly impressed with what you two presented."

Santana blushed and Brittany just took her hand, threading their fingers together.

"Thanks, DC. It was definitely a team effort. There's no way that I could've done anything without Santana and the kids and the rest of the faculty that helped us."

"Absolutely," DC said, nodding furiously. "So, Santana, I know that you have ideas. So, lay 'em on me."

"Um, well I think the main one that I've been thinking about is starting a glee club at Griffin Hill."

"That's like a choir, right? That's how you met?"

"Sort of and no. Brittany and I have known each other since first grade, but our high school glee club helped me come to terms with who I am and that I loved her, so…yeah. I believe in the power of music and the family that a glee club can create. Stereotypically, glee club is comprised of the so-called losers of the school. But it takes a lot of guts to do what they do. It's not just singing. You dance, harmonise, work with each other, play off each other's strengths, support each other. I saw a little of that with the cast of the musical and, based on the success of that, I really think that there is some seriously untapped talent at this school. Now that the students realise that it's ok to enjoy singing and performing, we could unlock unimaginable potential."

Santana took a breath after her impassioned speech and looked at Brittany when she squeezed her hand. She had the proudest smile on her face, and it made Santana duck her head shyly.

"Well, I'm sold. What do you need?"

She blinked at DC. "Just like that?"

"Well, you've proven to me that you can handle something like this. You've got the experience and the expertise and, most importantly, the passion. Also, you're not the only person who's approached me about starting a glee club here."

"Yeah?" Brittany asked in surprise.

Santana didn't want something like this to be taken away from her by another faculty member before she'd even had a chance to take it for a test spin.

"The kids, of course! Pretty much everyone from the cast and a few other students have expressed curiosity in something like a glee club becoming a fixture at Griffin Hill."

"Oh, awesome!" Brittany said with a smile. "San, we'll probably only start glee club next year, right?"

"Um, yeah." Santana snapped out of her head. She had so many thoughts running around. "Yeah, next year. You know, the year's almost over and all the competitions are probably done. We had Nationals at the beginning of May, right, Britt?"

"Um, yeah, it was just before my birthday."

"We'll need a rehearsal room. We can't use the studio because you have your after school dance classes."

"Yeah, but you can totally use it," Brittany said.

"That's sweet, babe, but I don't think we can take away from people who are paying for after school lessons in favour of a voluntary club, you know?"

"I may have a place where you could rehearse," DC interjected.

"Yeah?"

"Well, we've received a sizable donation by a group of parents – they donate every year – to build a new faculty lounge, complete with a proper kitchen and conference room."

"Wow," Santana murmured. "That's pretty cool."

"I know right?" DC said in excitement. "I love that part of my job. Anyway, would the old faculty lounge work for you as a rehearsal room?"

"Well, we called it a choir room in high school, and yes! It would be completely perfect! I'm sure I can enlist Kurt and Rachel to trick it out with everything we need."

"Great. Well, construction is going to take place during summer vacation and should be completed by the time the fall semester starts."

"That sounds…amazing, DC. Thank you."

"Thank _you_. This has all come about because you two had a vision. I definitely plan to keep you two around for a while." He winked.

They chuckled. "I don't think it'll be easy to get rid of us, DC," Santana confessed, looking at Brittany. "This school has been nothing but good to me."

Her fiancée scrunched her nose up.

"We'll need to factor this new club into the budget, too. Do you have any idea of costs involved?"

"Um, no," Santana said, pulling a thoughtful face. Then she smiled. "But I have a very good idea of who to ask."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for your patience with me updating. It's partly because of a lack of Brittana inspiration, but mostly due to a very big drive to work on my first **_**Sweet Lady Kisses**_** novel. More info on my Tumblr if anyone's interested :)**

**I appreciate those who have stuck with me for this fic and all my others (which will hopefully be updated soon). It means the world :)**

**Fics that you **_**have**_** to read: **_**Clockwork**_** by the amazing Gorshenin (author of **_**I Need A Medic**_**), **_**The Road To Unicorn**_** by RainManWithBoobs (I have recommended this fic before, but seriously – you have to read it) and lastly, **_**Where I'm Going**_** by MPEmax. It's totally cute :)**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Tumblr, Twitter and Ask – hlnwst**


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N: Much love :)**

**Not sure how many more chapters, but I can tell you that the wedding will be in this story and there will be one major event that has quite a big effect on Santana, Brittany and Bella. Not sure how many chapters that will take up though…**

**Heads up: Little bit of lady lovin' :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

* * *

**CHAPTER 53**

Santana collapsed onto the bed and immediately closed her eyes. She was exhausted. They'd finished their week of shows and even though there hadn't been any mishaps, Santana had been at every show. As successful as the musical had been, part of her was so glad that it was over. Every night had been a full house, which bode well for the future of the arts of Griffin Hill Academy. There were two weeks left of school and things were crazy with finals and grading. The teachers were just as stressed as the students.

"Mama?"

Santana summoned enough strength to turn over and smile tiredly at her daughter. Brittany had stayed late due to finals grading. Performances ran all day. She missed her fiancée.

"Hi, baby. I'm sorry that I've been out of it, lately. I'm just so tired."

"Ok," Bella said in a small voice. "I can…I can try to make supper?"

Santana felt her heart warm. "Bella, my baby, you are so wonderful. But you don't need to do that. I'm going to order us some Chinese. How does that sound?"

"Can I get a fortune cookie?" Bella asked with a smile.

"You can get three."

Bella grinned and Santana congratulated herself on coaxing a smile from her beautiful daughter.

"Can I play _Dance Revolution_?"

"Until dinner arrives, yes," Santana acquiesced. As Bella bounded out of her room, she took a deep breath and pushed herself off the bed. She kicked her shoes off and changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a tank. Comfort was the word of the evening. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself and Bella a glass of apple juice – a guilty pleasure of hers when she was exhausted.

She set her laptop up on the dining room table and went over to the TV to help Bella start the game. She smiled and kissed her daughter on the head, handing her the glass of juice.

"Not too quickly else you'll get a stitch, ok?" she warned as she headed back to the table. She picked up her phone and called in their Chinese delivery. She sent a text to Brittany telling her that dinner would be waiting and that she missed her.

She picked up the stack of exams that had been sitting on the table since the previous night and dove into grading them. The buzzer interrupted her about half an hour later and she let the delivery guy into the building. She jogged into the bedroom to grab her purse and opened the door when there was a knock.

She pulled it open and grinned. "Moonlighting, baby?"

Brittany winked and handed her the bag of Chinese, kissing her firmly. "Hmmm, I missed you today."

"Me too," Santana whispered.

"I saw the delivery guy in the lobby so I just paid for it. I figured I'd give you a nice surprise."

"I love your surprises." Santana walked into the kitchen and glanced up as Brittany closed the door and tiptoed into the living room where Bella was totally engrossed in her dancing. She smiled as Brittany scooped their daughter into her arms and Bella squealed in surprise.

"Mommy! Put me dooown!"

"But then I can't cuddle you," Brittany said with a pout.

Bella smiled big and threw her arms around her mommy's neck, squeezing tightly. It made Santana even more certain that letting Brittany back into her life and her heart was absolutely the best decision she'd ever made.

"Grub's up!" she called after putting their food onto plates.

"Yummy," both Bella and Brittany said as they sat down at the table.

Brittany helped move Santana's work out of the way and they chatted about their days as they ate. It was so beautifully domestic that Santana just wore a small smile the whole time. An IM popped up on her laptop and she glanced at the screen. It was Kurt, wanting to discuss details about the wedding.

"It's ok, baby. You can answer it," Brittany said with a smile.

Santana shook her head. "I'm having dinner with my family. They're the most important."

"That's so sweet, Mama," Bella said with a big smile.

"It's true too," Santana replied with a wink.

"Mommy, when do you go see the doctor again?" Bella asked, shovelling a forkful of noodles into her mouth.

Santana giggled quietly. Their daughter was such a goofball.

"Well, I got a whole lot of tests done on Wednesday when we went, but they'll only have the result next week. We have an appointment for Thursday cos that's when my body will be ready for maybe seeing if I could get a little itty bitty baby inside." She sent a warm look to Santana who returned it tenfold. They were both so excited for the actual insemination part.

"And then I'll have a baby brother or sister?" Bella's eyes were wide with excitement.

"Maybe," Brittany hedged.

"Baby girl, remember that I told you sometimes it takes a while to work?" Santana told Bella gently.

She nodded. "But Mommy's super healthy. It should work quickly, right?"

"We hope so, Little B," Brittany said quietly.

Santana reached across the table and took her hand, letting her thumb run softly over her knuckles. The touch said everything she needed to without words.

"Mama, I'm done," Bella announced, pushing her virtually empty plate away. "Can I go play _Dance Revolution_ again?"

"Sure, baby girl." She watched the little girl jump off her chair and immediately dive back into her game.

"Baby, I say this with all the love in the world, but you look exhausted," Brittany said in concern.

Santana rubbed the heel of her hand into her eye and yawned. "I am. This week was killer."

"I know you didn't sleep very well," the blonde added. "You were tossing and turning."

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about a lot."

"Like what, love?"

"Like getting all my papers graded on time. Like how I will _never_ have a musical just before finals again. Like how we're getting married in three weeks' time and I don't even have a dress." She groaned. "I just feel like I don't have enough time to get everything done."

"Can I help?" the most wonderful woman in the world asked.

Santana smiled. "You have no idea how much you do just by being you."

Brittany giggled. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Can I help grading? Maybe I can scout out some wedding dresses with Kurt and then just present you with options as opposed to you going out and having to look."

"Baby." Santana pouted. "I kinda wanna wow you with my dress and I won't be able to do that if you're shopping for it."

"Ok. Then how about we take a day and go on a mad wedding dress trying on spree and find you a dress?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Then it'll be out of the way and you won't have to worry about it anymore."

"B, that's perfect. You're a genius."

"Duh."

"Wait, what about your dress?" Santana asked with a frown.

She smiled mysteriously. "My dress was taken care of weeks ago."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you're also not going to get to see my dress until the day of the wedding. You know," she lowered her voice and leaned closer, "when you fuck me before we get married."

Santana bit her lip. God, everything about that sentence was just so incredibly hot. Her laptop making a noise broke her out of deliciously vivid thoughts of doing exactly what Brittany had said.

"Fucking love you," she murmured, glancing at the screen.

She felt Brittany's foot sliding up and down her leg in response. She sighed and tried to focus on what Kurt was saying.

**Kurt Hummel: Evening. I wanted to know when you'd be available to go dress shopping.**

**Kurt Hummel: Santana, you are aware that you're getting married in three weeks, right? It's kind of important that you have a wedding dress.**

**Kurt Hummel: Are you ignoring me?**

Santana rolled her eyes and typed a response.

**Santana Lopez: Calm your tits, Prancy Smurf. I was actually enjoying a lovely dinner with my family if that's ok with you. And yes, I am aware of my dress lackage. Britt and I were just discussing that we need to spend a day flying around NY to find one.**

**Kurt Hummel: My tits are perfectly calm. Yours, however, tend to ache with rage. So calm YOUR tits, perhaps? Are you available tomorrow? I may be able to save you a lot of time.**

**Santana Lopez: I appreciate you. And tomorrow would be perfect. I need to start checking things off my ever-growing list.**

**Kurt Hummel: I appreciate your appreciation. Meet me on the corner of Fifth and W 42****nd**** tomorrow at 10?**

**Santana Lopez: I hope you realise that my pocket does not fit Fifth Avenue. Nor does my father's.**

**Kurt Hummel: I have spoken with dear old dad. Don't you worry about a thing. Besides, I think I already have your perfect dress.**

**Santana Lopez: Outstanding. Britts, Bella and I will see you tomorrow.**

**Kurt Hummel: What? No Britts.**

**Santana Lopez: Snix disagrees.**

**Kurt Hummel: Santana, she can't see your wedding dress! It's bad luck! You haven't seen hers.**

**Santana Lopez: Valid. However, I needs my Britt-Britt with me. I've hardly seen her this week and I'm not about to spend my weekend running up and down Fifth Avenue looking at fluffy whites with you when she's stuck at home sans San. **_**Capice**_**?**

**Kurt Hummel: You're insufferable. Compromise. Brittany can come with, but she has to wait outside when you're trying on the dresses.**

Santana stomped her feet in a mini tantrum and Brittany just looked at her in amusement. She knew how Kurt operated and he and Santana had always been different sides of the same sassy coin. She had an inkling that Kurt was forbidding her to join the dress shopping.

**Santana Lopez: I hate you with a fiery burning passion that rivals the temperatures in hell.**

**Kurt Hummel: So glad we're settled for tomorrow. We can discuss other things like the VENUE since you don't respond to my emails. Honestly, Santana, you asked me to plan your wedding and gave me a month's notice. The least you could do is co-operate.**

**Santana Lopez: is offline.**

**Kurt Hummel: Bullshit. You typed that, bitch.**

**Santana Lopez: Fine. Maybe I did. Maybe it was Britt. Maybe it was Bella and you just called her a bitch. YOU JUST CALLED MY DAUGHTER A BITCH. I will ends you, Porcelain.**

**Kurt Hummel: I can't even.**

_Kurt Hummel is offline._

Santana smirked in triumph.

"You're so bad,' Brittany chuckled.

"This is true. But you are marrying me in part for my brilliant mind."

"In part. A very small part."

Santana gasped. "You mean, you're marrying me mostly for my _body_? Well, I never!"

Brittany stood up and walked around. She seated herself in Santana's lap. "Oh, honey, if you didn't know this by now, then you're a lost cause."

"What's that, Britt?" Santana snaked her arms around Brittany's waist.

"I'm marrying you because of your heart," she said softly, resting her hand over Santana's tank top where her heart was thudding away, slowly picking up its pace. Brittany smiled. "And maybe for your body too. But mostly for your heart."

"Well, that's good," Santana whispered.

"Why's that?"

She leaned up for a sweet kiss. "Because you already have my heart, Britt."

Brittany grinned widely and joined their lips again. They traded tenderly passionate kisses until Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and held her tightly.

"What's up, baby?"

"I'm just so excited. Part of me can't really wait three weeks because I want you to be my wife like, _now_, but at the same time I know it's going to be so amazing and you're going to look so beautiful and Bella's going to look totally adorable. I just…I can't wait to be your wife."

Santana pulled back and kissed her cheek. "Baby, you have no idea how much I want that too. So, so much. But…I do have to say that I'm very excited to see you in your wedding dress. The event, as it shall henceforth be named, has worked me into quite a tizz."

Brittany giggled. "God, I love your mind so much."

"Aha! I knew it! You do love me for my sexy brains."

"I love you for your sexy you. The _whole_ sexy you. Brains, boobs, butt, body, beating heart. All of it."

Santana smiled and kissed her again. She'd never get tired of it because Brittany Pierce was going to be her fucking wife.

* * *

"Honey, I know you're tired, but I wanna help you relax before bed," Brittany said before Santana climbed under the covers.

Her eyes were about to close, but Brittany really wanted to do this for her fiancée. She'd been thinking about it all day.

"Britt, I'm really tired," Santana mumbled.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm worried that you're not gonna stay that way. I just want you to relax so completely so that you get a proper night's sleep."

"Mmmkay. Whassit?"

Brittany grinned and grabbed the big towel she'd put on the dresser and lay it on top of the comforter that Santana was half under. The blonde walked to her and quickly undressed her.

"Baby, I love you and you're super hot, but I really don't have the energy for sex."

Brittany smiled. "Don't worry, San. We're not having sex."

"No sex?" She sounded kinda disappointed.

"No, you're totally exhausted. I wouldn't do that to you." But she smiled because she knew that no matter how tired Santana was, if Brittany really wanted sex, she'd give it to her. Yet another reason why she loved the Latina so goddamn much.

Once Santana was naked, she lay her face down on the towel. She grinned at Santana burrowing into the soft material comfortably, her sexy little ass shaking.

_So fucking cute._

Brittany changed into a pair of boy short and a tank top and put everything she needed onto her nightstand.

"You ready?" she whispered.

Santana subtly nodded. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep. Brittany straddled her backside and got comfortable. She'd run her hands under some warm water so that they wouldn't be cold on Santana's perpetually hot Latina skin. She loved how Santana always ran hot. No matter the temperature, she'd always get warm by just snuggling up to her.

She poured some lavender massage oil into her hand and rubbed them together. It had been a while since she'd given Santana a back massage, let alone a full body one. But she knew how therapeutic they were and how much Santana loved them.

And she got to run her hands all over the woman of her dreams. Win-win.

"Hmmm," Santana moaned quietly as Brittany started at her shoulders.

The blonde smiled and patiently worked all the tight muscles in Santana's back. She paid special attention to her neck and where her hairline started. Santana carried way too much tension there. She always thought it was because she held her head high when she was falling apart inside. Nobody really knew how much it actually took for her to keep that appearance up. Not just emotionally, but physically. Brittany only got glimpses of it at times, and that was purely because Santana was sometimes just too exhausted to keep up the pretence. That's when she started playing by Santana's rules. She didn't argue or question why sex wasn't dating, or why she claimed that there were no feelings.

They'd both known that _everything_ they did was with crazy feelings.

But she'd been so scared. And Brittany had understood that. After everything, they'd found each other. Sure, they'd lost each other for a bit, but it was just inevitable that they'd find each other again. It was Fate. They were destined to be together.

And you didn't mess with Fate.

Brittany moved onto Santana's arms, paying special attention to her shoulders. Her fiancée was deliciously relaxed, but Brittany wasn't even close to being done. She slid off Santana and massaged her glorious behind and muscular thighs. She hadn't lost any definition since high school. She was a teeny tiny little bit curvier since having Bella, but all the walking she did around New York, not to mention their intense cardio sessions, kept her muscles nicely toned.

She worked down each of Santana's legs, her fiancée jerking slightly when Brittany brushed her fingers behind her knees. She'd discovered the secret ticklish spot during a Sunday morning lazy lie in. Brittany glanced up and saw a small smile on Santana's face. She grinned and knew Santana was thinking of that same memory. No matter their messed up history, when it had been just the two of them, no one else and nothing else mattered. Whether Brittany was dating Artie or Santana was bearding with Karofsky or they were secretly dating or not even dating, but having sex; all that mattered was the two of them, together.

Once Brittany was done with Santana's back, she leaned down and kissed her ass gently. A soft snort came from Santana and Brittany was kinda glad that she was still awake and relaxing. She guided Santana onto her back so that the front of her body was on display. Santana's eyes stayed closed, but the smirk on her lips was clear as day. She knew that Brittany was totally checking her out and the blonde would never deny it. She couldn't _not_ stare at a naked Santana. It was like, an unwritten rule or something.

She straddled Santana over her favourite playground, but she was totally fine that the massage was far from sexual. Her appetite for her fiancée would never dwindle and it had been a long time since they'd gone a day without sex, but Brittany understood that Santana was literally exhausted to the point that she could barely gather enough energy to shower.

Brittany placed her hands on Santana's stomach and leaned down to press her lips to her fiancée's. Santana hummed quietly and slowly opened her mouth to suck on Brittany's bottom lip. It was sensual and passionate and although Santana's kisses always got Brittany hot and bothered, she reined herself in. She broke away, albeit reluctantly, and pecked Santana's nose before sitting up. She oiled her hands up again – wanky (come on, she couldn't resist. Besides, Santana would have been proud) – and started up at Santana's chest. She saw and felt a deep intake of breath. Santana's face was the epitome of calm, though.

As Brittany made her way down Santana's front, not paying too much attention to her twins (they were hella distracting, ok?), she continued to her stomach and hips. She smiled at the slight twitches when she grazed over Santana's ticklish spots. Brittany wiggled back between Santana's legs and lifted one leg onto her shoulder so she could properly massage the muscles on the side.

"Baby," Santana moaned.

"Yes, my love?"

"Want you."

Brittany glanced down to her very, _very_ open playground and swallowed at the moisture she could see there. "I'll take care of that for you soon, San. Let me finish the massage, ok?"

"Hmmmm."

With the prospect of being able to pleasure Santana, Brittany focused on completing her massage quickly and thoroughly. Once she was done with Santana's feet, she cleared all the oils off and took her clothes off and turned the lights off. She figured that if Santana was even was still awake, that as soon as she came, she'd pass out. Brittany knew she wouldn't be getting any unless it was by her own hand – and she and Santana had a strict no masturbation policy unless the situation was dire – so she focused on giving everything she had to Santana.

She climbed on top of her fiancée, her legs slipping easily between Santana's slightly oily ones.

"Hmmm. Hi," Santana whispered, her arms coming up around Brittany's shoulders and neck.

"Hi, baby," Brittany whispered back, nuzzling her cheek.

"You smell good."

The blonde chuckled. "I think that's you. It's the massage oil."

"S'nice."

"You're nice."

"Hmmm."

Brittany let her hand trail down Santana's sexy body until she could feel the heat drawing her in. It was addictive.

"B," Santana mumbled, her tired body involuntarily arching into the hand she knew was waiting to make her feel amazing things.

"Hmm?"

"I want…together."

"You sure?" Brittany didn't think she'd have the energy for scissoring.

"Want you to feel good and feel me."

"Ok. I'll do all the work, baby." Brittany eagerly sat up after giving her fiancée a peck. She lifted Santana's dead weight leg over her shoulder and closed her eyes in pleasure as their centres met. "Oh, God," she whispered.

She started moving, the oil making them quick and accurate.

"Fuck," Santana hissed.

Having adjusted to the darkness, Brittany could see Santana reaching for her so she bent down, bringing their clits closer together. Both women shook. After a moment to appreciate the feeling, Brittany started moving again and Santana kissed her desperately.

She knew it was hopeless to think that she could draw it out. Santana was exhausted, but still wanted her. That was enough of an ego stroke. Brittany accepted that the occasion called for a quickie. She ground her hips down and rolled them at a much faster pace than she normally would. It was definitely working because she could feel her orgasm building in her stomach in a matter of moments. It just felt too good.

"Yes," Santana gasped, digging her nails into Brittany's shoulder.

Brittany, surprisingly, was the first to go. She choked out her pleasure and tried to maintain some kind of rhythm to send Santana after her. She managed one last thrust before her strength gave out, but she felt Santana stiffen, then shake beneath her. The quick breaths into her ear made her smile. Santana post-orgasm was super sexy.

"Love you," Brittany whispered.

"Love…" Santana started to reply, but she didn't get to finish it. The hands on Brittany's back went limp and slid off.

Brittany smiled and slowly disengaged herself, moaning at the delicious wetness between them. Santana was dead to the world. Brittany hoped that she'd get a full night's sleep instead of restlessly tossing about different things on her mind.

She picked Santana up and slid her under the comforter. She quickly got rid the towel and jumped into bed beside her love, cuddling up behind her and holding her close. She loved spooning Santana. She loved holding her as they slept. On the odd occasion that they fell asleep with Santana spooning her, they always woke up with the positions reversed. It was just their natural sleeping pattern.

"Goodnight, my soon-to-be wife. I love you."

It didn't take long for Brittany to follow Santana into the deep realms of sleep.

* * *

She was refreshed. She felt more awake than she had all week. And she hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet. In fact, she hadn't even got out of bed yet. She was just watching Brittany sleep peacefully.

After the previous night, she was running out of thought space to list the reasons why she loved this woman. The massage had been amazing and more relaxing than she could have ever imagined. She didn't expect to be turned on, but hello. It was Brittany. And Brittany was running her hands – _oily_ hands – all over her body. It was out of her control. Her body always just reacted to Brittany.

The sex had been amazing. Sure, it had been quick, but she was glad that both of them were satisfied. She would've hated to have left Brittany hanging, especially considering their no masturbation policy.

She'd slept right through the night and woken up securely wrapped in Brittany's arms. Her favourite way to wake up.

Suddenly, Brittany took a deep breath and her eyes flickered open.

"Hmmm, morning," she mumbled, pulling her closer.

Santana brushed her lips against Brittany's cheek and nuzzled her affectionately. "Morning, baby," she whispered huskily.

Brittany smiled. "You sound sexy."

She chuckled quietly. "You always say that."

"S'cos it's always true," Brittany replied simply. She leaned forward and kissed Santana good morning properly.

"So I was thinking, laying here and watching my beautiful fiancée sleep-"

"Creep," Brittany said and wrinkled her nose.

"Because you've never done it."

"Oh, I do it all the time. You just never know."

"You just told me."

Brittany paused. "You tricked me." And cue pout.

"Hey, that's not fair. You know that's totally my weakness," Santana said, leaning forward to catch that bottom lip between her teeth. She nibbled on it lightly before sucking it in.

She should've realised that it would open a floodgate because in no time at all, she was one her back and Brittany was on top of her, kissing her deeply. It made her head spin. She had no idea how long they made out for, but she knew that she had been rendered effectively useless. Brittany had kissed her into paralysis.

"Babe, you ok?" Brittany asked, her breaths brushing across Santana's face.

She closed her eyes and smile dreamily as she nodded. Brittany giggled and stayed on top of Santana, snuggling into her neck.

"That's my favourite spot."

"Well, you can't snuggle into your own neck and now I know why you like it so much. It's super comfortable."

Once Santana had control over her arms again, she brought them up around Brittany's back and held her close.

"You said you were thinking," Brittany murmured, her fingers dancing along Santana's collarbone.

"Hmm. Yeah, two things. Um, the first is our honeymoon. Have you thought about where you wanna go?"

"Not really. I mean, as long as there's a bed and room service, that's all we'll really need, right?"

Santana chuckled. "Definitely, babe. But, um, my mom sent me a message yesterday and it kind of went out of my head, but I remembered it this morning."

"Did she conspire something with my parents?" Brittany asked knowingly.

"Yeah. They've booked us a week in Hawaii."

Brittany sat up and stared down at her fiancée. "Are you shitting me?"

Santana smiled. "Ignoring the fact that that was totally something I would say, yes. She said that everything is paid for. We leave after the reception."

"But…what about Bella?"

"My mom said that she'd be happy to take her back to Lima. I know Bella enjoys it there. She loves seeing where we grew up and see the actual places from the stories that I told her so…"

"Hmmm." Brittany tucked her head into Santana's neck again.

"That's it?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not turning down a week-long honeymoon in Hawaii, babe. It's summer vacation. It's not like she's gonna miss school. Plus, I think that we deserve a week for us. Just a few days where we can be married and enjoy being a young married couple."

Santana smiled. Brittany always made sense. She kissed her forehead. "You're so right, babe. Hawaii it is. I think we should probably tell Bella sooner rather than later. She's never been away from me for that long before."

"Oh…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine if we explain it properly."

"Ok. So, what was the other thing?"

Santana took a breath. "Um, so we kind of spoke about this very briefly at one point, but it was after crazy good sex so I wasn't sure if it still applied. Basically-"

"Santana," Brittany cut in, giggling.

"Um, yeah?"

"I haven't changed my mind about taking your last name. I may have said it in a haze of being fucked really, really good, but I didn't forget that I'd said it. And I still want it." She lifted her head and met Santana's eyes. "Do you…do you still want me to?"

She smiled possibly the biggest smile she'd ever smiled. "You have no idea how happy that would make me. Seriously." She kissed her hard and pulled back. "No idea."

Brittany giggled and rolled them back to the middle of the bed, this time with Santana on top. They traded a few more kisses.

"The future Mrs. Lopez, ladies and gents," Santana said softly.

Brittany blushed. "The Lopez family from New York. I kinda like how that sounds."

"Yeah, Brittany, Santana , Bella and little unknown Lopez," Santana agreed, kissing her again. "Sounds perfect."

Just as she leaned in again, her phone chimed incessantly. She already knew who it was.

"Fucking Porcelain," she muttered, grabbing her phone. Sure enough, he'd sent about ten texts in the last minute, telling her to stop having morning sex with Brittany or else they were going to be late. "I wasn't even having morning sex!"

"Well, you were definitely on your way," Brittany replied, kissing neck.

Santana giggled. "We only have three weeks to practise, so we should still try and get our goal time down."

"We have a goal time?" Brittany asked.

"Well, I think people may notice if the brides disappear for half an hour."

"So…what kind of time frame are we looking at here?"

Santana looked thoughtful. "Even though I was sorta out of it last night, I'm pretty sure we hit a five minute mark."

"Yeah, we may have, but we did have a decent amount of foreplay."

"I'm pretty sure the anticipation is going to be enough foreplay, don't you think, babe?"

"Hmmm, good point."

"So, should we give ourselves a time limit of say, seven minutes?"

Brittany grinned. "Seven minutes in heaven?"

"It's always heaven with you," Santana murmured, kissing her lovingly. She broke away with a curse as her phone chimed again.

_Get out of bed. Or I'll send in my secret weapon._

"How could he even possibly contact Bella?" Santana mused.

"They have walkie-talkies," Brittany said.

"What? Since when?"

"Last week sometime. Bella totally fell in love with them so Kurt keeps one and Bella keeps the other. They actually work really well."

"Little Nazi bastard, trying to control my daughter," Santana fumed, rolling off Brittany and heading for the door.

"Santana."

She stopped at the tone of Brittany's voice. She turned slowly.

"Firstly, you're naked, which of course I appreciate greatly. Not so sure our daughter would feel the same way if you storm into her room like that. Second, I'm going to shower. Since we have a deadline that we're apparently supposed to meet, it would make sense for you to join me to save time." She stood up and Santana's eyes shamelessly roamed over the creamy skin. "And maybe if you hurry up, we can test that seven minute theory."

Brittany grabbed her robe and kissed Santana's cheek. The brunette couldn't move, rendered frozen by her fiancée's words. God, Brittany's words were just…scintillating.

"Santana," Brittany called from the bathroom.

"Crap." She grabbed her robe and pulled it on, heading quickly to Bella's room. She smiled at her daughter laying on her bed listening to her iPod, reading her book. She looked up and smiled, pulling an earbud out.

"I know you were super tired, so I let you guys sleep in," Bella said.

Santana kneeled next to her bed and kissed her forehead. "Once again, the most wonderful daughter in the world."

"You look better than yesterday," she commented.

"I feel loads better. Mommy and I are going to shower real quick and then we're meeting Kurt to go shopping for my dress."

Bella grinned. "Ok, can I read until we go?"

"Sure, baby." She kissed her forehead again. "Have fun."

She exited Bella's room and pulled the door partway closed. She took a breath before walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind them, making sure to lock it.

"Finally," Brittany said, pulling back the curtain. "I was this close to breaking our no masturbation rule."

Santana smirked and dropped her robe. "_No me gusta_."

* * *

"We have arrived, Porcelain!" Santana said dramatically, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head.

"Only fifteen minutes later than we'd scheduled," Kurt replied.

"Big whoop. Your manicure can wait."

"Mama," Bella said with a frown.

Santana looked at her daughter, and then at her fiancée, who was holding her. Brittany was wearing a matching frown.

"Oh, for Pete's sake. Seriously? I haven't even had my coffee yet and you, Kurt, ruined a _seriously_ good morning."

"Santana, our morning was pretty awesome, so stop complaining," Brittany said firmly. "While you're in the first shop, Bella and I will go and get us some breakfast."

"Starbucks," Bella said with a smile. "Muffins. Yum."

Santana bit her lip, and willed herself to think pure thoughts. It was her frigging daughter for Christ's sake. "Ok, ok. You win. Love you, baby. You're my superhero lifesaver."

"Ooh, roleplay," Brittany said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Like make believe?" Bella asked.

"Totally," Brittany said smoothly. She sent Santana an apologetic look, but the Latina just smiled warmly.

"Have fun, babies. Come and find me soon." She leaned in and kissed Bella, nuzzling her nose. "Before I commit Smurficide," she added in a whisper before kissing her fiancée.

Brittany giggled against her lips, but kissed her back. "Love you," she said, licking her lips to savour Santana's taste. "See you soon."

Santana watched them walk around the corner with a contented smile on her face.

"You know, at times like this, I'm reminded that you are actually a nice person."

"Bite me," Santana snapped back, but it didn't hold any malice.

"Didn't think you were into that," Kurt mused, walking along the sidewalk.

Santana followed, but only when Brittany and Bella had turned a corner. "Gross."

"Our first stop is the store of someone who happens to be a close personal friend of mine, and who has kept this dress on hold for me ever since you guys announced your engagement."

"Should I be worried?"

"Santana, quiet. You were the only person that I thought of when I saw this dress and after your engagement, I just knew that it would be perfect."

"Yeah, well, you think that stripes and check match so…"

"Humour me?"

Santana sighed and followed her friend into a super fancy boutique. It was virtually all white. Beautiful gowns hung from racks around the store. Santana's eyes started wandering.

"Kurt!"

"Hi, Dimitri. So sorry we're late. My dear friend, Santana, doesn't appreciate the value of time."

Santana pasted a smile on her face. "What your dear friend, Santana, appreciates is super hot shower sex with her incredibly sexy fiancée," she told Kurt matter-of-factly. "Pleasure," she directed at Dimitri.

Dimitri laughed. "Oh, she is all you described and more."

"You talk about me behind my back, Porcelain?"

"Purely factual, Satan," Kurt said dryly. "I just told Dimitri that you were a crazy sexy Latina bitch with a penchant for vicious insults and the cold, hard truth."

Santana cocked her head. "Motion carried," she said eventually. "So, Dimitov-"

"Dimitri," Kurt cut in.

"Dustin," Santana continued, unperturbed. "Kurt here tells me that you may just have my dream dress?"

Dimtri smiled and nodded. "Just seeing you now, this dress is definitely perfect for you."

"Ok. Wow away."

He disappeared behind a wall and Santana inspected her nails. When Dimitri returned, she had to sit down, her throat going dry.

"Oh my God. Kurt."

He smiled smugly. "See? Perfect."

* * *

**A/N: I know what the dress is :) And when the time comes, so will you :)**

**So in two weeks (*squeal*), this fic will turn 1! I have big plans for a celebration :) Can't believe it's almost been a year…wow. So much has happened in that time. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in this story. I seriously cannot even express how much every single person has impacted my life. You guys gave me the courage to really focus on my writing. You gave me belief in myself and my writing. I could never thank you enough.**

**Ok, that wasn't quite what I'd planned to say, but anyway :)**

**Hope you enjoyed! Part of me wonders if Santana and Brittany will get the pre-wedding sex that they're so excited about… :)**

**Fic recs: **_**The Bartender**_** by LauraACon, **_**Paperweight **_**by heyho and **_**A Fighting Chance**_** by ac2790 (drug and violence trigger warnings on that last one).**

**Onward and up!**

**-H**

**Twitter, Tumblr and Ask – hlnwst**


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N: Happy one year anniversary to ADL! To those who have been on this journey with me from the beginning, my deepest and heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you!**

**I'll chat more at the end, but you'll be happy to know that we have finally arrived at the chapter that you've all been waiting for! Well, at least I hope so :p I know I have.**

**If you know which chapter, I mean, you know to expect some lady lovin' :)**

**Onward and up! (Because this ain't done)**

**-H**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :( (But HeMo owned the finale)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 54**

Brittany smoothed her hands down the front of the silky white material and hesitated over her stomach. She took a mournful sigh. Their first attempt at getting pregnant had failed. Santana had been so wonderfully supportive, but Brittany could tell that she was disappointed. Dr. Marlowe had explained that the chances of them getting pregnant on the first try was possible, but more than often it took a few more tries.

Bella had also been bitterly disappointed. Brittany thought that their daughter had actually taken the news worse than them. But Santana, her amazing fiancée, had rallied the both of them and they'd gone out for ice cream. Later that night, Santana had made sweet love to her, declaring in every way possible how it didn't matter to her how many times they had to try *she still loved Brittany with her entire being.

_And now I get to call the most amazing woman in the world my wife. Well, I do in about half an hour._

She grinned widely and forgot about the difficulties of the previous week. She was about to marry Santana Lopez. Finally. The last three weeks had flown by. Finals had wrapped up, School had let out, they'd said farewell to the graduates and spent their first weekend without school to worry about the following Monday just relaxing at home and doing nothing.

Ok, there may have been an impromptu Glee Night and dance off.

"Knock, knock?" a voice called outside the slightly open door.

"Come in!" she said brightly, not able to wipe the wide smile from her lips.

"Oh, wow."

"Mom." Brittany rolled her eyes.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart," she said in a teary voice.

"Stop it," Brittany said firmly. "You're not allowed to cry. If you cry, then I'm going to cry and ruin this perfect make-up that some important Vogue make-up artist did and then Kurt is gonna be all up in my grill bitching about how the wedding is going to be ruined because you made my make-up run."

Natalie actually looked fearful.

"Seriously, Mom? You're buying that?" Hailie scoffed, stepping from behind her.

"I'm not kidding. Kurt's gone insane."

"He _was_ studying those tulips a little closely," Natalie murmured.

"Exactly! And they're fake!" Brittany threw her hands up. "I love my unicorn, but I'm so glad that this wedding is close to being done. If I have to hold San back from strangling him one more time, I might actually let her do it."

"No pre-wedding jitters?" Hailie asked, popping a chocolate into her mouth.

"Hailie, that's bad luck," Natalie said disapprovingly.

Brittany just laughed. "Me? Nervous about marrying the love of my life? Why would I be nervous? I've wanted this for as long as I can remember."

"Natalie smiled. "You know, I could've sworn that Santana was going to ask for our blessing when you two were still in high school. I remember one evening she was acting so nervous and she waited for you to go and shower or something and then just sat with us in the living room. She kept wringing her hands and if I hadn't known any better, I would've expected her to tell us that either you or her were pregnant."

Brittany chuckled. Santana didn't do well with the big talks. Well, with anyone other than her. But she'd had years to make Santana realise that she could tell her anything, and that expressing her feelings didn't mean that she would spontaneously combust. It had been a hard lesson for the both of them, but she sure as hell wouldn't trade it for anything because everything that had happened had led them to this point.

To finally getting married.

"Seriously? You're not nervous?" Hailie persisted.

"Hailie!" Natalie snapped.

"Mom, chill. I know what she's doing," Brittany said with a smile. "And, Hailie, you can rest easy. This is, without a doubt, the one thing in my life that I have always been certain of. Santana is my everything – my past, my present and my future. And today I get to show her that."

"Aww," Natalie cooed.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "The sap and the sceptic. Are you guys supposed to be my wedding party?"

"Nope, that would be us!"

Brittany looked up as Quinn, Rachel and Max joined them.

"Mommy!"

She hadn't even seen Bella, but the second her daughter appeared from behind Quinn's leg, she knelt and picked her up.

"Britt, your dress!" Quinn warned.

"Trust me, I've tested the flexibility," she replied without thinking.

"And why would you need to do that?" Quinn asked suspiciously.

_Whoops! Think!_

"Well, I'm definitely not going to shuffle around at the reception. I plan to get down with my bad self."

"And me!" Bella piped up.

"Naturally," Brittany agreed. "And, of course, my beautiful bride-to-be."

"Mommy, she looks _soooooo_ beautiful!" Bella said, her eyes shining and her smile big. "You're gonna be like, on the floor when you see her."

"Floored?" Natalie queried.

Brittany nodded and grinned. "Little B, I can't wait to see Mama. I bet I'm gonna see her and totally freeze and then just run up to her and say I love you and then we'll be married."

Bella giggled. "If you could do that, you would've been married years ago."

"So very true," Brittany mused. "But I'm glad we waited till now."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Well, what kind of a wedding would we have had without the most beautiful and perfect daughter as our flower girl?"

She wiggled in pleasure and gave Brittany a kiss on the cheek. "Mama says I have to be careful with the make-up cos it has superpowers or something."

Brittany chuckled. "Not quite. But that definitely sounds like something Mama would say."

Her phone chimed with an alarm. She quickly put Bella down. "Little B, are you gonna go and keep Max company until Mama and I are ready?"

Bella nodded and Brittany grabbed her phone, silencing the reminder.

"What was that?" Rachel queried.

"Just a reminder. You guys need to go now. I wanted to have some…me time before Dad comes to get me."

"But, Britt. It's still twenty minutes till the ceremony," Natalie argued with the notorious Pierce pout.

"I know, Mom, but we're going to have plenty of time later. I just…I need this time."

"You heard her!" Bella said demandingly, hands on her hips. "If Mommy wants to be alone, then leave her alone."

"Well, ain't that freaky," Hailie muttered. "She's seriously exactly like her."

"Duh," Bella and Brittany said at the same time. Then they grinned at each other.

"Ok, ok," Quinn said in exasperation. "Before Snixx the Second makes an appearance, let's leave Britt to her thoughts."

_Hmmm…thoughts._

"You won't get lost or anything, right, Mommy?" Bella asked, a little fearful.

"Oh, baby, I could never lose myself here. Not now. This is the most special day for me and Mama. Nothing is going to stop me from marrying her."

"Ok, good," Her daughter replied with a big smile.

Brittany leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Hold down the fort until your Mama and I make our grand entrance."

"Entrance_s_," Quinn elaborated. "Plural. As in two. You're not allowed to see each other before the wedding."

The blonde bride-to-be chuckled. "You do realise that we saw each other two hours ago when we arrived together, right? And that we spent the whole day together?"

Quinn huffed and Rachel followed suit.

"Oh, whatever," Hailie said. "Santana and Brittany are a match made in Sapphic heaven. Who cares if they break a few rules? It's not like their relationship has been exactly normal."

"They're totally normal!" Bella argued. "They love each other the most and no one can beat that."

"Little B, gimme some skin."

The flower girl gladly fist bumped her mom and grinned.

"Ladies and Max, you heard my little girl. Now vamoose. I needs my reflection time."

"You're so weird," Hailie commented, following Quinn, Rachel and her mother out.

Bella hung back a little.

"Everything ok, Little B?"

"Just wanted to tell you that you also look super beautiful, Mommy. Mama's gonna faint when she sees you."

"Ah, honey. You are just the sweetest daughter in the world. I love you." She leaned down for a kiss and Bella gave her a full dimpled smile.

"Love you too, Mommy. I'm gonna make sure everyone's doing what they're supposed to."

"Ok, baby. And make sure to tell Grampa James that he needs to come here in…" she checked her phone, "sixteen minutes and not a minute sooner. Ok?"

"Got it," Bella sang, skipping out of the room.

Brittany grinned after her daughter and checked her make-up once more before making her way to the door. She peeked outside, but there wasn't anyone in the living room. They were in Kurt and Blaine's spacious apartment and the spare bedroom had turned into Brittany's dressing room. Santana was just down the hall in Kurt's design room.

_Coast is clear._

Brittany ducked out of the room and tiptoes quickly across the wide hall, making sure that her heels didn't make a noise. She paused outside the design room and knocked twice, then three times. It was their code.

Santana responded on the other side with the same, telling her that they were good to go. As per their arrangement, Brittany waited five seconds before opening the door and slipping inside. She locked the door and headed for the storeroom where she knew her future wife was waiting for her. She took a breath before stepping into the store room, fully prepared to be rendered speechless, limbless, boneless, everything-less by Santana's beauty. She was awestruck daily, but even Quinn hadn't been able to hide her enthusiasm at Santana's dress.

"Whoa."

Santana had stepped into the doorway, presumably to see what was taking Brittany so long and the blonde's jaw fell open. Her eyes started at Santana's beautiful face with her natural make-up just how she liked it, Her hair was long and wavy, with two pieces of hair from the front braided to the back of her head, just like hers. Brittany's eyes ventured downwards and stopped at the see-through mesh that gave her a glorious view of her fiancée's _amazing_ boobs.

"Oh, God," she moaned.

"Actually, babe, it's Santana," she replied with a smirk and grabbed Brittany's hand, pulling them together.

"You look so beautiful," Brittany breathed.

Santana smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss her. Brittany returned it eagerly, her arms wrapping around the back of Santana's dress. The back was also mesh, but her hands dropped lower to squeeze the material hugging the ass that she hungered after.

"By the way," Santana whispered, breaking their kiss. She trailed a finger across Brittany's forehead, making her smile, "you look breathtaking, Brittany. Absolutely breathtaking."

"It's only for you, San. It was only ever for you."

Santana responded by pulling her back into a kiss. Brittany allowed herself to be pulled into the room further until Santana's back hit a wall.

"Baby, ugh, we need to hurry. As much as I wanna kiss you, we've got like, ten minutes."

"Well," Brittany replied, nipping at Santana's neck. "We did manage to get our timing down to four minutes last night. Does that mean we can go two rounds?"

Santana giggled and kissed her nose before slipping her hand inside the slit that Brittany had promised her. "How about we make it an incredible one to last you until our honeymoon starts?"

"It'll be a miracle if I last the reception," Brittany growled, dipping her tongue to the breasts that were taunting her.

Santana's breath hitched at the sensation and moved her fingers to press against Brittany's naked core. They'd decided to go commando and only put underwear on after their little meeting. Plus, they didn't want the barrier.

Brittany shuddered in pleasure as Santana's fingers slid easily into her. They'd been building themselves up for this moment for weeks and were more than ready for it. The blonde grunted and rolled her hips into Santana's forcefully. She built her up quickly and powerfully.

"Fu-fuck," Brittany gasped. "Oh, Santana-a."

The Latina twisted her fingers, smiling at the look on her fiancée's face as she came. They may have even broken their record, but Britt's recovery time always let them down. But apparently not today. Blue eyes, darkened with passion, kissed her furiously, leaving Santana's head spinning deliciously. She was throbbing, anticipating Brittany pleasuring her. She hadn't stopped thinking about it all day.

"I want so badly to fuck you senseless in this gorgeous dress, but I'll settle for going deep sea diving," Brittany said with a cheeky grin.

Santana flushed, but giggled like a schoolgirl, widening her legs. Brittany dropped to her knees and grabbed the long train, lifted it up and disappeared underneath. Santana closed her eyes as she could feel Brittany get closer and closer to the place she desperately wanted her. And needed her.

"Oh, _fuck_!" she cried, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be quiet.

She shivered when Brittany whispered _ssshhh_ against her clit. It felt only Brittany could elicit from her, she was soon begging for release, but in broken whispers, mindful of their secret rendezvous. It made it totally hotter.

"Br-Br-Britt!" she panted. "Oh, yes. Right there, baby!"

Brittany dived inside with her tongue and swirled the twisting organ inside her like a racing car on its favourite track. She knew all the good corners, and she definitely knew how to get to the finish line the quickest.

"Brittany!" Santana groaned in a half-whisper, half-moan as she finally crashed over the edge. She leaned against the wall as the waves floated through her. Her fiancée cleaned her up like a pro, making sure that she wouldn't be uncomfortable in her dress.

"You're amazing," she whispered.

Brittany shuffled out from underneath the dress and dropped the skirt down, patting her head subconsciously. She grinned up at Santana and stood up, pressing into her body and giving her languid kisses.

"We still have four minutes," she whispered.

"So stay with me for those four minutes," Santana husked, wrapping her arms around Brittany's waist, her fingertips running across the soft material. "Have I mentioned how much I love you today?"

"Not as much as you will be in a few minutes," Brittany replied with a grin.

Santana matched it. "I'm so glad we made it here. There were times when I was really worried that we wouldn't."

"Hey, I would've totally come and paid you congenial visits in jail after you killed Kurt," the blonde said seriously. "Like every day. Maybe they'd just let me live there. Easy peasy."

The Latina chuckled. "You are so perfect, Brittany Pierce."

"Not for much longer," she murmured.

"What do you mean? You'll always be perfect."

"Hmmm." Brittany smiled and kissed her nose. "Actually, I was referring to my name. I won't be a Pierce for much longer."

"Oh, baby, you'll always be a Pierce. You've been a Pierce for twenty-six years."

"Yeah, but I'm going to be a Lopez for the rest of it," she replied softly, leaning in for more kisses.

Brittany's phone broke them apart. The blonde shut it off and reluctantly pushed herself away from the wall and, as a result, away from Santana.

"Can't we just walk in together? I don't wanna let you go now that I've seen you," she whined, complete with pout.

"And disappoint your dad?" Brittany countered with arched brows.

Santana sighed. "Fine. Ruin my romantic gestures with your logic."

"I'm pretty sure you marrying me is the top romantic gesture, baby."

"Good. Cos I plan on knocking your socks off."

"Just my socks? What about my dress? And maybe my underwear?"

"But you're not wearing any," Santana replied with a smirk, trailing a finger up the front of Brittany's dress. "Seriously, B, you look so beautiful."

"Well, anything I say would just pale in comparison so I'm just gonna go with goddess."

Santana blushed and Brittany giggled.

"You know," the blonde continued, stepping back into Santana's embrace. "I'm really glad we did this."

"Yeah?"

"Not only did I get to have super hot just-about-to-be-married sex with my insanely beautiful wife-to-be, I got to do the floor-dropping reaction to how you look. I think if I'd seen you across the aisle, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself."

"Why do you think I suggested this?" Santana hummed, tracing her lips across Brittany's cheek in soft kisses.

"Pretty sure I suggested pre-wedding sex," Brittany mumbled into her neck as she held her close.

"Well, whoever suggested it is a genius because the practice was totally worth it."

Brittany pulled back slightly and stared into her eyes. "Every second with you is worth it."

"B," Santana breathed, a loving smile breaking onto her face. She kissed her lips gently, groaning when her own back up alarm went off. They knew they'd get carried away, so they'd allowed themselves an extra two minutes.

"Ok, ok, I have to go," Brittany said, pouting a little.

"Hate to see you leave," Santana said softly, letting their hands drop as the blonde stepped towards the door.

"But love to watch you go." Brittany added a sexy bum jiggle before blowing Santana a kiss and disappearing around the corner.

She didn't let the goofy smile fall from her face as she skipped back to the spare room. She checked her reflection in the mirror and pulled a face.

_Whoops._

Her hair was pretty intact, save for a few errant strands from the static underneath Santana's dress. Her lipstick was non-existent, but she'd paid attention to which lipstick the very sour make-up artist had used. Seriously, she hadn't smiled once. Not that anything could ruin her day. She was marrying Santana Lopez, the love of her life, the girl of her dreams, and she looked _so_ beautiful. Brittany was pretty sure she was going to have another jaw-dropping moment when she saw her in a few minutes. There was no woman in the world more beautiful than her wife to be.

Nah, her wife. Screw the to-be part. She was marrying Santana and that was everything.

She checked her reflection and applied some blush to hide her flushed cheeks. Not that it would matter. They were getting married on the roof of Kurt and Blaine's apartment building. She had to admit that it looked pretty amazing. Kurt had done an amazing job with everything. And Quinn had snapped at his heels enough to keep him from hiring Lebanese dancers and an African marimba band.

Brittany could dance better than any Lebanese dancer anyway. Besides, she was going to be dancing with her wife all night long. She didn't care about belly dancers. If Santana so desired, she'd belly dance for her.

She grinned at the thought and did a little excited jump around. She couldn't wait to _finally _start her life with Santana as a married couple. She'd be able to adopt Bella legally and they'd be a proper family. Not that they hadn't before, but everything that was happening just made it all that more special.

"Hey, Honey Bee. You decent?"

"Absolutely not," Brittany deadpanned, still looking at her reflection. "I decided to go all Tarzana on my dress and I plan to take Santana as my mate and we will live in the concrete jungle."

"Awesome." He walked in and froze, his eyes immediately glazing over.

"No, Daddy, not you too!" Brittany pleaded, desperately trying to keep the imminent tears at bay.

"I-I'm sorry, Honey Bee. I just…you look so beautiful. So beautiful. I remember the day I married your mother…"

"No you don't, Dad. You were both blind drunk and got married in a Muppets-themed wedding chapel in Vegas."

"Oh, right. Well, thirty years later, we're still going strong," he said with a grin. He stepped closer and took her hand. "Honey Bee, you've made both me and your mom so proud. You're finally marrying the girl from down the road and you have a beautiful family. It was all I ever wanted for you."

"Thanks, Daddy," she whispered.

"Ok. Do I need to know about any goose stepping that we're gonna be doing down the aisle?"

Brittany laughed heartily.

* * *

"_Mija_?"

"Come in, _Papi_."

Santana breathed in, the smile never leaving her face as she stared at her reflection.

"_Hermosa_," Emilio breathed.

"_Gracias_," she replied as quietly.

"Santanita, I am so proud of you. You have made such a beautiful life for yourself and for your Bella."

"She's our Bella, _Papi_. She doesn't only belong to me."

He smiled. "I, uh, I brought you something. I know it's old-fashioned, but your mother seemed to think that you'd like it. I got her the same thing for our wedding."

He handed her a long, flat box and she took with slightly shaking hands. She laughed nervously and opened it. "Oh," she breathed. "_Papi_, it's perfect. It's so perfect."

She pulled out two perfectly clipped white roses. "They're thornless," she noted with a big smile.

"_Si_. I gave your mother one when we met each other at the alter. It means love at first sight and it was for us, as I know it was for you."

Santana flushed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "This means so much, _Papi_. I can't even explain to you how happy I am that you're giving me away at my wedding. And not just because it's my wedding and I'm marrying Brittany, but because you're by my side. _Mami_ always said that we were two peas in a pod and that's why we fought so much."

"That, and you're the most stubborn girl I've ever met," he teased.

"Says you! I remember when I was ten, you refused to believe that I'd seen a full rainbow. You said that they didn't exist."

"And then you dragged me out of bed one morning and showed me one," he remembered. He smiled fondly at his daughter. "I saw that same look of happiness in your eyes that day that I see now."

"Because Brittany showed me the full rainbow first."

He nodded. "I know."

She chuckled. "How?"

"Because you've only ever been this happy with her. And it makes me very happy to see the love and the life that you two have created for yourself. Forget all the crap in between. You two were meant to be together, and you are."

"Ugh, you're going to make me cry!" Santana said in frustration. "_No me gusta, Papi_."

"_Lo siento, mi carina._"

She leaned against his chest and inhaled the scent that she would forever reserve for her father. "You scrub up good, Daddy. Should get you into tuxes more often," she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "If it were up to your mother, I'd be in one every weekend."

She laughed. "I hope Brittany and I will be as happy as you and _Mami_ are in seventy years."

He looked shocked. "Santanita! You wound an old man."

She snaked an arm around him. "You'll never be old to me. You'll just always be my dad."

He kissed her forehead. "Shall we get you married?"

"Yes, please!"

She gathered her long train and followed him out the bedroom.

"We're coming out!" Emilio called down the hall. "Make sure you're hiding away, Brittany!"

Santana giggled and she imagined that her fiancée was too. If they only know. Oh, wait… Ew, no. They should never know.

"See you soon, baby!" Santana called through the door as she walked past.

"Not if I see you first, sexy," came the reply.

Her smile widened and she chuckled to herself as they headed up to the roof. Luckily Kurt and Blaine lived on the top floor and had reserved the use of the roof for the wedding. Santana had been very impressed with how he'd done everything up. He'd taken the best of hers and Brittany's tastes and meshed them together to come up with a beautiful summery theme. Light colours, mostly light blue and green, with some pink splashed in for good measure. And, of course, white roses.

They stepped onto the roof and headed to the left where she'd be walking down the aisle from. Brittany was going to be coming in from the right. None of the guests could see them because of long white tents that ran along the edge, obscuring them from view.

"Mama!" Bella squealed excitedly, spotting her just before she veered off to her position.

Santana smiled and knelt down, thankful that the bodice on the dress wasn't stiflingly rigid.

"Hi again, baby girl. You're looking as beautiful as ever."

Bella blushed and it was adorable. "Did you see Mommy? She looks so amazing!"

_Hell yeah she does._

"Um, haven't seen her yet, baby girl. But I will soon. Are you and Max ready to introduce us?"

She nodded fiercely. "I'm super excited, Mama. This is like, the bestest day ever."

Santana grinned. "It is pretty awesome, isn't it?"

"_Mija_. I think she's coming up. We should go before she sees you."

Santana rolled her eyes and kissed Bella's forehead. "See you soon, baby girl."

"Love you!"

"Love you too."

"I love you three!" Brittany called from the stairs that she was ascending, but Santana couldn't see her.

"Hurry that sexy ass up so I can marry you!" she called back, letting her father guide her down the tented corridor.

They paused just behind the entrance and Santana played with Emilio's baby blue tie. "So smart, _Papi._ You look good in blue."

"Maybe I'll leave it to my grandson," he teased.

Santana laughed. "You think you'll get that lucky, huh? Between the two of us, we have super girl genes. You might have to wait for Bella."

"Oh, and when's that going to happen? When she's twenty-five?"

"Try thirty. If I've let her leave the house."

Emilio smiled. "She's the second best thing that ever happened to you. And I only say second because Brittany happened first."

Santana smiled and nodded. "Might have to agree with you there."

The soft notes of an instrumental piece composed by none other than Ben Radcliffe floated through the speakers and Santana eagerly stepped forward.

She tugged Emilio's arm. "Come on, old man! I plan on getting married today, not next year."

He obliged and let her pull him into view of everyone. There was an appreciative gasp and the standard oohs and aahs, but Santana had eyes for one woman, and one woman alone. Her cheeks were aching from the big smile on her face, but seeing a matching one on Brittany's face made her forget any kind of pain. They were drawn to each other and before they knew it, they were standing in front of one another, hands clasped and fingers entwined.

"I don't think you were supposed to beat me here," Bella said with a frown, a handful of white rose petals in her hand as she walked up to them.

Her moms giggled.

"Sorry, baby girl. I'm just really excited to marry Mommy."

"Ditto," Brittany added.

Bella sighed dramatically and tossed the flower petals into the air. "Fine."

Max stood next to her and scrunched up his face in confusion. He had the box of rings (they'd decided that a pillow was possibly too risky) in his cute little hands and held them up to Santana.

"Thanks, Maxie!' she cooed.

He grinned before waddling quickly to his proud mommy and daddy. Santana smiled and stood up straight, meeting Brittany's eyes again. And she was lost. She vaguely remembered Rachel prying the ring box out of her hand.

_Hey_, she mouthed.

She got a sultry wink in return and it caused Santana to bite her lip, but their gaze never wavered.

"You think maybe we can get this show on the road? I have a hysterectomy to perform in an hour."

Santana froze at the voice and her eyes found Kurt, sending him a prize glare. He just grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Sandbags," Coach Sue greeted.

"It's Santana," she muttered.

_Seriously, Porcelain? Way to fucking ruin my wedding day._

Brittany squeezed her hands and brought their eyes back to each other.

_Stay with me_, Brittany mouthed.

Santana nodded subtly.

"We are gathered here today to, I believe, _finally_ join these two crazy kids in holy whatsit."

Brittany squeezed her hands again before she could let her irritation get the better of her. She couldn't help but smile at the excited look in Brittany's eyes and she let it wash over her. Fuck Sue Sylvester. She was about to marry Brittany, her soulmate in every possible way, and no way was some has been cheerleading coach going to ruin it for her.

"Now, I trained these two from when they were babies to be best cheerleaders that they could be."

_Say what?_

Brittany wrinkled her nose instead of laughing. Santana knew she was trying to tell her to just go with it.

"From an early age, they seemed joined at the hip. I took it upon myself to personally facilitate their budding relationship and tied them at the hip for an entire school year."

Santana frowned and shook her head at the guests, mouthing a big no. A few chuckled. It didn't matter. Santana and Brittany's story was well known amongst the people that mattered. The Latina tuned her former coach out and stepped closer to her future wife, nuzzling her cheek.

"Hey, hey! I'm busy telling your epic story here!"

"That's not how it goes!" Bella piped up.

"You tell her, baby girl," Santana said proudly.

"You're mean, evil Coach Sue."

The guests all laughed openly at that.

"Chip off the old boob job, huh?" Sue muttered to Santana.

"Yeah, she is," Brittany answered. "And she couldn't be more perfect."

"So, are you gonna marry us or what? Cos I really wanna call this woman my wife," Santana added.

There was a chorus of awww's.

Brittany chuckled. "Uh oh, everyone just saw you being sweet, baby. You'd better whip out your vicious words."

Santana smiled at her. "You know what? No vicious words today. I do have some decidedly non-vicious words for my beautiful bride if I'm ever allowed to actually say them." She looked at Sue pointedly, only just realising that she was wearing a tux-like tracksuit.

Some things never changed.

'Ok, so me first?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded eagerly with a big smile. "Awesome. So, Ms Pierce, not to be Ms Pierce for much longer – sorry not sorry – I was blessed to have met you eighteen years ago. The day you walked in my third grade classroom was one of the best days of my life because you were just…you. You let me boss you around, you did what I told you. I thought it was the best deal ever. And you did everything with a smile on your face.

"And then, in sixth grade, you gave me a flower." Santana reached into her hair and pulled out one of the two roses that her father had given her. "You gave me rose and started singing _Forever Young_. I remember thinking one thing, that you were absolutely perfect. I think I knew then that you and I were destined for great things together. The white rose also means 'I am worthy of you'. It took me a very long time to accept that someone as amazing as you could love someone like me. Someone who fought herself on a daily basis and who only really had one friend. A friend that she happened to fall in love with."

Two tears rolled down Brittany's face, but her big smile was still firmly in place. Santana took a breath and kissed her fingers before continuing, "Our journey to this point wasn't easy, but something my father told me not too long ago, actually, really just made so much sense to me. Forget all the crap that we went through. We were _always_ meant to end up at this point. I knew it. You knew it. Hell, the whole of Glee Club knew it." She smiled at the knowing chuckles and the soft whoop from Noah. She stepped closer to her almost wife and held her hands against her heart. "I love you, Brittany. I always have and I always will. You are my match, my soulmate, my best friend, my lover, my confidant, the person who knows exactly what to do or say when I don't, the person who's always known me better than I know myself. The girl who loved me when I couldn't love myself. Before I officially swear myself to you – cos, you know, I'm totally yours – I wanted to say thank you. You saved me, Brittany. You showed me that it was ok to be scared, to be vulnerable, to maybe not always have control. Noah, don't you dare," she said knowingly, sending him a look. His mouth was already open with a comment. She smirked and focused on the beautiful girl in front of her. "You saved me from myself. You saved me for you. And I will forever be grateful for you, my one true love."

Brittany grinned and kissed her before anything could be said or done.

"Hey, hey! That's not how things work around here, Tweedled-"

"Watch it," Santana cut in. "You don't get to call her that anymore. In fact, you never had the right to call her that. My Britt-Britt gets to kiss me if she wants to because it's our damn wedding and hell, I'd kiss me after that speech."

"That was so hot," Brittany whispered. "If we hadn't already-"

"I knew it!" Kurt hissed loudly.

"Can it, Lady. You don't get a say in what I do or don't do before _my_ wedding. Bella, cover your ears." Her daughter obliged with a roll of her eyes. "And if I want to do my future wife, that's my business. Consider it payback for springing this delightful surprise on us."

"I assume you're referring to me?" Sue asked dryly.

"Ten points for Sherlock."

"San." Brittany pouted.

"Sorry, baby. I'm very sorry." She pecked the pout away.

"Isn't the kiss supposed to come at the end?" Hailie wondered aloud.

"Because Santana and Brittany always do everything normally," Rachel chimed in.

"Ok, is the revival for _A Chorus Line_ over?" Santana asked with an arched eyebrow. "Can I marry the smoking hot woman in front of me now?"

"Not yet. I wanna say my words," Brittany protested.

"Of course, baby," Santana said with a smile. "Bella, muffs off."

"You owe me," their daughter muttered.

"Love you." Santana made a loud kissing noise and grinned at Brittany.

The blonde had an arched brow. "You sure you wanna marry me?"

Santana's eyes went wide. "More than anything," she said quietly, a little worried.

"Ok, good." Suddenly, Brittany was all smiles again. "Just checking. So, soon-to-be-wifey, there's not much that I can tell you that I haven't told you before. I mean, there might be some things that everyone sitting there don't know, but for some reason all I can think of is all the stuff they _shouldn't_ know."

Santana flushed and giggled. "B, our daughter is sitting right there."

"Oops."

The Latina leaned in for a kiss.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Sue muttered.

"Go on, baby," Santana encouraged.

"Ok. So, I worked it out. I've known you for just under eighteen years. That's two hundred and eleven months. That's nine hundred and seventeen weeks. That's six thousand four hundred and nineteen days. I could go into the hours, minutes and seconds, but I'll probably get confused and say the wrong amount. Anyway, for six and a half thousand days, I have loved you and missed you and cried with you and kissed you and laughed with you and discovered every new thing with you. I've grown with you. Every day with you was a gift to me – _is_ a gift to me. As you said, we'll forget the bad stuff, and just pretend that those years are included in my calculations because regardless of how far apart we may have been, Santana, not a day went by when I didn't love you, miss you, cry for you, wish that I could kiss you and laugh with you and, more than anything, grow with you. We were always meant to grow old together, of that I have always been certain. When we were younger, it was as grannies in the same old age home, discussing our grandkids and stuff. But as we got older and things started to…change between us, so did my vision of our future. I wanted the grandkids that we discussed to be _our_ grandkids. I wanted us to be able to judge the boyfriends and girlfriends that our kids brought home – sorry, Little B, you're in for a bumpy ride." Bella just looked confused while everyone else chuckled.

"I've always wanted you, Santana. Just you. I would've been happy with that for the rest of my life. And then we hit a snag and things got a little hard, but I wouldn't ask for anything different because now we have each other so completely, we have a beautiful daughter and are surrounded by friends and family on the day that we have decided to put it all out there and take the plunge." Santana grinned.

"And there's no one in the world that I would rather take the plunge with because, Santana, no matter what happens, I know you'll be there to catch me. I know that you'll be there to cheer me up when I have a bad day. I know that you'll be there when I've had a long day at school and without me even saying anything, you'll offer a back rub or foot rub. Noah, not a word."

Santana glanced at their friend and saw him frowning in disappointment.

"You're always going to be there for me," Brittany continued, looking straight into Santana's eyes. "You're going to be there through the good times, through the bad times, through the hard times and through the fun times."

"Lots of those," Santana couldn't help but interject with a happy smile.

"Oh, yeah," Brittany breathed, a familiar look in her eyes. "I love you, Santana. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in this world. Sorry, Mom and Dad. And Hailie."

"Yeah, you'd better apologise," her sister muttered good-naturedly.

"No matter what happens in the future or who may come along," they both smiled at that – "I know that we're going to face it together. Because whether we may think do or not, we've been inseparable for one hundred and fifty four thousand and fifty six hours."

"Holy crap," Santana breathed. "That's really long."

"I know right? Like, crazy."

"Are you two here to get married or discuss how long you've known each other?" Sue asked.

Santana just smiled at her. "Let's get to the 'I do's so I can give my wife a deserved kiss."

"Outstanding. Santana Lopez, do you take Brittany Pierce to be your wedded wife, to love her and protect her in dark and difficult times, to promise to be honest and true to her, and to treasure her as the most prized possession in the world?"

"Hell yes," Santana said proudly.

Brittany giggled, tears flowing down her cheeks at regular intervals.

"Brittany Pierce, do you take Santana Lopez to be your wedded wife-"

"Yes!" she blurted. "I mean, you know I do to all that other stuff, right?"

Santana nodded gleefully. "I do."

"Ok, so I guess that makes you wife and wife. Would you like to officially kiss the bride now?"

"Wait, does she kiss me or do I kiss her?" Brittany asked.

"B."

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

The blonde smiled and Santana gripped her neck to pull them together for an explosive kiss.

* * *

**A/N: And there's the wedding :) You didn't think it would be anything normal, did you? Lol :)**

**Anywho, hope you guys enjoyed it. We have the reception following and then the honeymooooooon (moon). Still quite a few chapters to go until this tale is finished. Well, until this part of the tale is done, anyway :)**

**Oh! Santana's dress was a white version of the dress she wore to the SAG's this year, just with a looser bodice. Brittany's dress is also strapless and made of silk. It has a fitted corset/bodice type thing and a layered bottom half. Which, as we know, has a slit for easy access ;)**

**There will be more detail about the dresses and such in the next chapter. I just really wanted to focus on Brittany and Santana in this chapter.**

**A little news on my front. Use it, don't use it, I don't mind. I am officially a published author! :D So very excited :) Fifteen years in the making so this is a dream come true for me. Details can be found on my FF profile page as well as on Tumblr and Twitter. Cos, you know, I probably won't shut up about it for a while, lol :)**

**Thank you for all your support over the last year. I know I've said it before, but every single one of you got me to the point of publication. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you :)**

**Much love :)**

**Onwards and up!**

**-H**

**Twitter, Tumblr and Ask – hlnwst**


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